The devastated daughters of a Salford woman who died after being injected with an unlicensed “skinny jab” have spoken out for the first time, urging authorities to clamp down on the black market trade of fake weight loss drugs.

Fifty three year old Karen McGonigal passed away in May, just four days after receiving what she believed to be a semaglutide injection, a drug commonly used for weight management. Her daughters, Abbie and Ffion, said their mother was “kind, loving, and would do anything for anyone,” adding that she had been struggling with her mental health and body image before her death.

Speaking to ITV News, the sisters shared that their mum had become “desperate” to lose weight after a difficult breakup, and felt her confidence had hit rock bottom. “She didn’t feel happy in herself. She didn’t want to go out anywhere,” Abbie said. “I think she just wanted her old self back, to lose weight and feel confident again.”

After visiting her GP and learning she did not qualify for weight loss medication on the NHS, Karen turned to a local beauty salon that was offering injections for just £20. ITV News obtained text messages showing a beautician advertising the jabs, which she claimed were Mounjaro injections, a brand similar to Ozempic.

But these medications can only be prescribed legally by qualified medical professionals, such as doctors or pharmacists. Instead, Karen was reportedly taken into a back room of the salon, where the beautician, who “stopped doing another woman’s nails” mid appointment, injected her without any medical preparation or hygiene precautions.

“No cleaning, no checks, nothing,” Ffion said. “She would just inject her, take the money, and Mum would be out in three minutes.”

Initially, Karen began to lose weight, but just days after her final jab, she suddenly became severely unwell. According to her daughters, she was “in agony” with stomach pain and struggling to breathe before collapsing at home. Ffion recalled calling an ambulance after her mother’s face turned “purple.”

“She got blue lighted to the hospital,” Ffion said. “By the time I saw her again, she wasn’t awake.”

Karen was placed in intensive care, but doctors told the family there was nothing more they could do. Surrounded by her loved ones, she passed away two days later as her daughters and friends sang and said their goodbyes.

“We were around her, kissing and hugging her,” Abbie said through tears. “All her friends were there. They all got to say their last goodbyes.”

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