Zack Polanski stood by breast enlargment hypnosis claim

For years, Polanski has maintained that his words and beliefs were misrepresented in the initial reporting and that he never genuinely believed such a physical transformation was possible. He has consistently stated that he contacted the BBC the day after the original article was published to issue an apology and clarify his position. However, an extensive review by BBC News has failed to uncover any evidence of such an interview taking place on the claimed date. This absence of record directly contradicts Polanski’s narrative, casting serious doubt on his recollection of events and his public defence.

Further compounding the issue, BBC News has located an interview Polanski conducted with Radio Humberside just six days after the initial controversial article appeared. In this subsequent broadcast, rather than apologising or retracting his earlier statements, Polanski appeared to stand by the theory, asserting that "the evidence is growing" for the effectiveness of hypnosis in increasing breast size. This discovery presents a stark contrast to his consistent public statements made since entering the political arena, suggesting a significant divergence between his past and present accounts.

A source within the Green Party, responding to the renewed scrutiny, reiterated Polanski’s current stance: "Zack has repeatedly apologised for an interview he did with The Sun more than a decade ago." The source then attempted to pivot the focus, adding: "Now, Zack is focussed on the issues that really matter to people: bringing down bills, protecting the NHS and rebuilding our public services." This response seeks to acknowledge the past without directly addressing the new evidence contradicting Polanski’s specific claims of an immediate BBC apology.

The genesis of this controversy lies in a 2013 article published in The Sun newspaper. The piece detailed an interaction where Polanski, then working from a Harley Street consulting room, offered a hypnosis session to a reporter with the stated aim of increasing her cup size. According to the reporter’s account in the article, the session yielded the desired effect, much to her surprise. This story, while initially perhaps a curiosity, has resurfaced with considerable weight now that Polanski holds a high-profile leadership position within a major UK political party.

Since his election as co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales in September 2023, Polanski has made concerted efforts to distance himself from the original breast enlargement claim. His consistent public defence has centered on the idea of misrepresentation by the media and his alleged prompt apology. He has repeatedly asserted that he was misrepresented and claimed that he appeared on the BBC to apologise the very next day after The Sun article was published on June 12, 2013. This narrative has been a cornerstone of his defence when challenged on the topic.

However, the BBC’s diligent search for the purported interview has yielded no results. The BBC specifically requested the Green Party to provide details or point to the alleged BBC interview, and internal programme running orders were also scoured. Despite these efforts, no record of an apology interview on June 12, 2013, or indeed the day after the Sun article, could be found. This absence directly undermines Polanski’s long-held explanation.

The pivotal new evidence comes from the interview Polanski conducted with BBC Radio Humberside on June 18, 2013 – a mere six days after The Sun article. Far from offering an apology or expressing regret, Polanski used this platform to defend his earlier claims. Speaking to presenter Peter Levy, he stated, "Actually increasingly more and more as I work with people, there’s starting to become anecdotal evidence, at least, of a growth in breast size." He framed his work as an "experiment" and called for further research into the technique.

During the Radio Humberside interview, Polanski also expressed a hope that individuals would ultimately decide against physical breast enhancement, instead choosing to "become more comfortable from the inside out." Yet, this sentiment was immediately followed by a reaffirmation of his belief in the method’s potential, as he reiterated that "the evidence is growing" for the technique’s efficacy. He concluded by saying, "I believe that it can happen in theory and I think it’s definitely worth investing the time of evidence and research into hypnosis generally." These statements from 2013 directly contradict the claims Polanski has consistently made since his rise to prominence within the Green Party.

The discrepancy between his 2013 statements and his more recent political pronouncements is striking. In September of last year, during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Polanski was directly asked if he had genuinely believed at the time that hypnosis could enlarge a woman’s breasts. His unequivocal response was, "I was misrepresented, I apologised a day later." The same month, while speaking on the Pod Save the UK podcast, he reinforced this narrative, stating, "I went out on BBC Radio the next day, so not twelve years later when I became a politician, but literally the next day to go ‘this article doesn’t represent me’."

Furthermore, during an interview with LBC radio in his capacity as deputy leader of the Green Party, Polanski asserted that he "never believed that" women’s breasts could be enlarged through hypnotherapy. He continued, "I apologised immediately the day after the article 11 years ago to say that doesn’t represent my work and that I don’t stand by that article. I apologised because I recognised that would be offensive to people." The newly discovered Radio Humberside interview directly challenges the core tenets of these repeated public statements, suggesting a significant revision of his personal history on the matter.

The emergence of the Radio Humberside interview has elicited strong reactions from opposing political parties. A Labour Party source did not mince words, stating: "Zack Polanski’s ego might have got bigger, but nothing else has." The source continued with a scathing assessment: "It’s now clear that his pretence to have been misrepresented over his breast enlargement hypnosis scam was absolute nonsense – he got called out years later, and he lied about it. You can’t trust a word he says – he’ll say whatever he thinks you want to hear." This highlights the potential damage the revelations could inflict on Polanski’s credibility and public trust.

The controversy also drew comment from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. Asked about the story on Thursday, she expressed serious concerns about Polanski’s suitability for power. "I think that the country would be in a very dangerous place, if they allowed a man who has been going around telling people that he knows how to grow women’s breasts, in any kind of power," Badenoch stated, framing the issue as a matter of judgment and leadership capacity.

This unfolding situation presents a significant challenge for Zack Polanski and the Green Party. The direct contradiction between his consistent public narrative of an immediate apology and the newly uncovered evidence from 2013 raises questions not only about his past beliefs but also about the integrity of his political statements. As a prominent figure aiming for increased influence in British politics, Polanski will likely face continued scrutiny over these discrepancies, which could impact public perception and trust in his leadership.