By Jason Chester
PUBLISHED: 02:43 EST, 15 November 2013 | UPDATED: 03:57 EST, 16 November 2013
He's adored by millions of fans all over the world, but One Direction star Louis Tomlinson surprised many this week by appearing to promote a weight loss website.
The 21-year-old singer used his considerable clout on Twitter, where he commands more than 13.9 million followers, to advertise the UK based health supplement company Bootea - known for its variety of appetite suppressing products.
'Had an amazing @BooteaUK smoothie from Bootea.com this morning #booteashake,' he tweeted on Wednesday morning.
The post was seen by millions of his young fans, with 14,000 of them picking it as a favourite and 10,000 retweeting the message before it was promptly deleted.
Despite its hasty removal, Louis has been bombarded with furious responses from those who see his actions as irresponsible.
'You should NOT promote stuff like that!! #soangry,' reads one disgruntled tweet, posted later that day.
Another concerned follower asked: 'You're a stick, why would you want to lose weight?'
Eating disorders have increased by 24% in the UK over the last ten-years - with impressionable teenagers the most susceptible age group.
Speaking to the Mirror, Lucy Russell - the director of campaigns for charity YoungMinds - said the singer's tweet was poorly judged.
'It's really irresponsible and short-sighted of him. Louis has such a huge audience - especially young girls. It's very silly and remiss of him and the people around him,' she said.
'Three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health problem. Louis is a mentor to millions. The ones who are vulnerable are easily led and will be thinking: 'I'll buy some of that.''
His spokesperson has since insisted that Louis had no idea he was endorsing a weight loss product.
'Louis tweeted about the drink as he had one and enjoyed it,' he said. 'However, he did not realise they are associated with weight-loss and would never endorse weight-loss products.'
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