Kate Thornton has been blasted for being "irresponsible" by an anti-drugs group after boasting of inhaling helium from balloons in front of her five-year-old son Ben.
The former 'Loose Women' host came under fire after posting on Twitter: “Sucking helium out of balloons with my son and LMAO (Laughing My A*** Off) x.”
The gas is an asphyxiant and has been linked with several deaths.
Hitting out at Kate's actions, a spokesperson for substance abuse charity Re-Solv, told The Sun: "Inhaling helium is a risky activity and has resulted in deaths in the UK. It is disappointing to read Kate Thornton’s tweet about inhaling helium with her son.
“This activity has resulted in tragic consequences and promoting it to young people is irresponsible.”
However, Kate later took to Twitter to clarify her comments, insisting that her son had not inhaled the gas.
She wrote: "An old tweet of mine misconstrued in @TheSunNewspaper today. I tweeted that I was sucking helium out of a balloon with my son. To be clear I was sucking the helium, not my five year old. x"