Tulisa in new X Factor plugging row over her free £12,000 teeth
By Lara Gould
Last updated at 10:34 PM on 3rd December 2011
She's already the subject of an investigation by broadcasting watchdogs over claims she has been illegally promoting her perfume on TV.
Now X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos has been accused of further cashing in on her role on the ITV series by using her Twitter page to plug a dental firm that fitted her with free tooth veneers.
The singer, 23, was fitted with 12 porcelain veneers by dentist Dr David Bloom at Senova Dental in Watford, Hertfordshire, in March after landing the X Factor job.
All smiles: Tulisa before the procedure (left) and her grining after the fitting of her £12,000 veneers
The procedure, which takes two months to complete and involves wafer-thin shells of ceramic material being attached to the surface of existing teeth, usually costs £12,000.
But in an interview with the Radio Times the singer admitted she was given the treatment free of charge, adding: ‘It’s mental, the amount of free things I get offered.
‘There are things I work to afford and I don’t have to pay for them. It’s ridiculous. I could sell half the free things I have and be able to put a mortgage down on a house.’
Promotion or just an arm signal? Tulisa was accused of promoting her fragrance, The Female Boss, with this arm signal
She could now be part of an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading after it emerged that she has been plugging the dental company in messages on her Twitter page, read by more than a million fans.
The OFT does not discuss ongoing investigations but said yesterday that celebrities endorsing products could be in breach of fair trading laws if it is not made clear they have received a service in return. ‘It must be clear if endorsements in blogs, posts and microblogs like Twitter have been made in return for payment or payment in kind.’
Tulisa made her first mention of Senova Dental on March 29, telling her 1,087,215 followers: ‘Oh my God, I’m in the dentist! Finally getting my veneers! Excited but scared! No more baby teeth! THANK U . . . DAVID!xx’
The Female Boss: Tulisa's perfume which she launched last month is named TFB
Four further plugs followed, each name-checking the dental firm and dentist – but failing to mention her arrangement with the company.
On August 11, Senova dental posted a message to Tulisa which read: ‘@officialtulisa has 12k smile makeover before X factor – courtesy of . . . @drdavidbloom :-)’
Tulisa, who also appears on the company’s website next to before-and-after pictures of her teeth, replied: ‘I know thanks guys I love them!’
Following another message from Tulisa again mentioning the clinic and Dr Bloom, Senova Dental replied: ‘your [sic] more than welcome :-) they look AMAZING!’
Whiter than white: Since having dental treatment Tulisa tweeted that people have been constantly asking her where she received her veneers
Two weeks later Tulisa posted: ‘Every1 keeps asking me about my new teeth & who did them, so here goes @drdavidbloom @senovadental, their [they’re] amazing so happy.’
A fourth message on November 5 read: ‘Thanks @drdavidbloom at @senovadental for sorting out my tooth ache (my molar not venners [veneers]) and checking up on my lovely venners [veneers], I love em!’
Tulisa, who found fame in pop group NDubz, also appears on the company’s web page posing for a picture with the dentist and giving an interview about why she had the veneers fitted in relation to her role on The X Factor.
Judging panel: Tulisa also appears on the dentist's website giving an interview about why she had the veneers fitted in relation to her role on The X Factor
Last month broadcasting watchdog Ofcom announced it was investigating whether Tulisa was guilty of breaking rules on promoting commercial products, after making a series of references to her perfume, The Female Boss, on the X Factor and ITV2 spin-off programme The Xtra Factor.
The regulator acted after complaints from viewers about her signature arm gesture, which she makes at the start of every X Factor episode and sees her holding her up her right forearm bearing a tattoo reading ‘The Female Boss’.
It followed an earlier incident in October when she talked about The Female Boss perfume and discussed the connection to her arm signal on the Xtra Factor.
Last night a spokesman for Tulisa declined to comment.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2069608/Tulisa-new-X-Factor-plugging-row-free-12-000-teeth.html#ixzz1fZ92qOmT
