British Influencer Exposes Harrowing TikTok Death Hoax That Stole Her Voice and Income

14 July 2025

Grace Wolstenholme. Credit : Grace Wolstenholme/Instagram

Twenty-two-year-old British influencer Grace Wolstenholme, best known for her candid TikTok videos about living with cerebral palsy, was blindsided in May by a chilling piece of misinformation: a hoax announcing her death that went viral and struck at the heart of everything she’s built online. The impostor, posing as her brother, used recycled footage from a 2021 gym fail video and footage of a coffin being lowered, all apparently to amass sympathy, drive viewers to a business venture, and exploit Grace’s community. The clip gained over 41,000 views before it was taken down though not before devastating visits of condolence poured in through her mother’s phone, followed by waves of shocked and anguished followers.

Grace learned of the rumor not from trolls online but through worried messages from followers reaching out to her family. She had been less active on social media while unwell, and by the time she discovered the hoax via her mother’s text alert, it had already spread far enough to shatter followers’ trust and damage her livelihood. She confronted it head-on in a response video, scolding the person behind it with biting sarcasm: “Excuse me if I’m mistaken, I’ve not just risen from the f------ dead, have I?”

At a time when views and engagement translate directly to income, the hoax did more than send shivers, it cost Grace thousands of followers and crippled her income. With each lost subscriber, an essential part of her platform vanished. Brands and sponsors evaluating the influencer’s reach began backing away. In her follow-up discourse, she didn’t mince words: the act was not just illegal but morally repugnant. The individual behind the video had even appropriated Grace’s identity by fabricating claims of having cerebral palsy, an additional layer of manipulation meant to capitalize on sympathy and vulnerability.

TikTok ultimately removed both the offending video and related accounts, though the content resurfaced moments later, fueling fresh rounds of harassment. Calls, comments and messages from strangers piled onto her accounts, tripping over one another in a maelstrom of confusion and cruelty. The video’s persistence prompted the Metropolitan Police in London to open an investigation into malicious communications, marking a frightening escalation from online rumor to real-world offense

Grace’s reaction, though understandably emotional, also held resolve. She described the hoax as “disgusting” and “sickening,” highlighting how the perpetrator weaponized her disability and personal struggles in a grotesque attempt to gain clicks. Her voice, calm and clear in her response stood in stark contrast to the lies that had attempted to define her dead. In many ways, her outspoken rebuttal was a reclamation of identity and agency in a space where both can be stolen in a heartbeat.

Following the incident, her followers and advocacy allies sent messages of solidarity and outrage. Disability rights groups, in particular, denounced the hoax for its exploitation of cerebral palsy, noting it crossed a line from careless content to malicious character assassination. Grace’s use of social channels to defend herself became a rallying point an example of how online communities can support creators when the platforms designed to protect them fail .

The incident is symptomatic of a broader online pathology: identity theft and emotional manipulation disguised as entertainment. Hoaxes like this are now simple to fabricate but incredibly hard to control once they spread. TikTok’s rapid removal of the video and accounts was reactive, not preventative. Grace remains vocal in her criticism of response systems that, in her experience, are too slow, under-resourced, or easily circumvented by repeat offenders .

In recent weeks Grace has resumed posting, determined to rebuild her community and share her truth. Her early content reflected gratitude, thanked supporters, acknowledging the toll of recent weeks yet offering fresh glimpses into her daily life living with cerebral palsy. Whether she’s posting reflections on disability representation or light-hearted dance videos, she speaks with a renewed sense of purpose. She’s more than the one who almost died online, she lives, she publishes, she melds her reality into the only narrative she controls.

The episode underscores a digital dilemma: users remain vulnerable to emotional exploitation in spaces touted as tools for connection. Whether via cloned footage, AI-enhanced manipulation, or outright lies, the potential for harassment is vast especially for individuals with disabilities whose stories and images can be monetized by strangers with zero moral scruples.

But Grace’s refusal to let the hoax define her proves how creators can rise above such abuse. She turned a crisis into a platform: a story about resilience, truth, and the necessity of safeguarding our humanity online. Her battle is not just against one perpetrator, it’s against a system that tolerates digital cruelty without recourse. As policing and platform accountability evolve, Grace’s no-nonsense response and steadfast creativity stand as a testament to the power of reclaiming your voice even when someone else claims you’re dead.