I’m worried my colleague is lying about having cancer | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

What happened

According to The Guardian’s source item, I’m worried my colleague is lying about having cancer | Ask Annalisa Barbieri, The real question isn’t whether you are being lied to, but why ‘tall tales’ land so heavily with you When I was 21, I went on a girls’ trip with university friends. Over dinner , one of the girls, who was known for being a liar, announced she had just heard from her doctor that she had cancer and needed chemotherapy . She never had chemotherapy and most of the group (especially me) stopped socialising with her after that. Five years later, she admitted she had been lying. Recently, a new person joined my work and I think she may be a liar of similar proportions. We get along very well , are a similar age and are both chatty. She is also an over-sharer. According to her, this has been the worst six months of her life , involving injuries, escapades and traumatic events, some of which feel untrue. I feel I have to believe her or I’ll be the worst person ever . Yet, my instincts a

Context

The development sits in VINI’s Global file for readers following international affairs, institutions, conflict, diplomacy, economics, and cross-border consequences. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-05-24T05:00:49+00:00.

What to watch

Open questions include whether primary sources issue follow-up statements, whether local or market impacts become clearer, and whether additional reporting changes the timeline or adds material context.

Source

Primary source: I’m worried my colleague is lying about having cancer | Ask Annalisa Barbieri via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.