Green Party leader Zack Polanski says ‘absurd’ The Sun story undermined his professionalism as a therapist (EXCLUSIVE)

Before entering politics, Zack Polanski worked as a therapist, though even then he couldn’t stay out of the press, following an incident with The Sun, which he now describes as “absurd”.

The Green Party leader previously worked primarily in drama schools, particularly with young women struggling with body image and self-esteem.

Trained in hypnotherapy and confidence coaching, he was approached by The Sun in 2015 for his career working with young women.

“She wrote this absurd article” – Zack Polanski on The Sun writing a misleading article about him during his time as a therapist

Subsequently, the published article in The Sun sensationally suggested he claimed hypnotherapy could increase breast size, running the headline: “Can you really THINK your boobs bigger?”

Speaking in his Attitude cover interview, Polanski says: “I said, ‘No, absolutely not.’ She said, ‘Would you be willing to do it as an experiment?’ I said, ‘As long as you make it really clear that that is not something I do [or] charge for…’ And then she wrote this absurd article.”

He adds: “The intention was around empowering people to feel good about themselves – I don’t regret the entirely positive intention behind [the piece]. What I do regret, though, is that the article was misleading.”

Polanski insists the framing was misleading and claims the newspaper had originally approached him about contributing to a piece on confidence and self-worth.

“I just thought, ‘Great, this is something I can put on the national stage!'” – Polanski on his time working in mental-health

Much of his therapy work centred on group sessions designed to create safe spaces where clients could talk openly and begin to feel more comfortable in their own bodies.

“The work I was doing was often in group sessions, encouraging a space where people could talk and understand that they were loved and they could love themselves,” he explains. “I just thought, ‘Great, this is something I can put on the national stage!’”

Polanski worked as a hypnotherapist before entering mainstream politics, with his career in mental health ending around 2015 or 2016. He joined the Liberal Democrats in 2016 and later moved to the Green Party in 2017.

Read the full interview in the Attitude March/April 2026 issue, available on digital platforms and print from Friday 13th February 2026.