A FORMER Playboy model has refused chemotherapy to treat her brain tumour - instead turning to illegal cannabis oil.

Kerri Parker, 34, said she will risk five years behind bars rather than undergo 12 rounds of chemo, arguing it was her "only chance" to live.

Kerri argued she would only become sicker by starting chemo - which had been scheduled for today - with no guarantee it would save her life.

Speaking to Sunday People, the former lab technician from Norwich said: "I know using cannabis means I could be put in prison but I truly believe it is the only chance I have of living right now.

"I’ve been working hard over the past few years. I’m training for a black belt in martial arts and I’m the fittest and healthiest I’ve been, so when doctors say they want me to have treatment which will make me sick, it makes no sense to me."

She said doctors told her no one with brain cancer had managed to make it through the 12 rounds of chemo without succumbing to the disease.

Kerri added: "I don’t want my hair to fall out from chemo, or my face burned from radiotherapy. I train daily, run a model academy and a nutrition business and I don’t want having cancer to affect all of this."

Instead, she said she would put her faith in cannabis oil, adding; "It’s a risk I’m ready to take."

While low-concentrate version of cannabis oil is legal in the UK, Kerri hopes to use the drug with a higher dose of THC (or Tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive component in cannabis that makes users feel "high".

Kerri said she had been supported by her friends and family over her decision to use CBD, rather than follow a chemotherapy route.

She was first been diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013 and had life-saving surgery to remove the tumour.

But doctors told Kerri this month that her cancer had returned.

Before the brain tumour, Kerri was awarded Ms UK, as well as spending her time free climbing, scuba diving, horse-riding and professional rally car racing.

The ex-Army medic, 34, was also a body double for Megan Fox, as well as enjoying drinks with A-listers such as Leonardo Di Caprio.

Though research is limited, there is evidence to support the idea that medical marijuana, which contains the illegal compound THC, can alleviate some of the side-effects of cancer treatment including nausea during chemotherapy.

Whether or not it has anti-cancer benefits is not clear - but Macmillan says on its website: "Studies have had mixed results when used in clinical trials.

"Because of the mixed results, the general feeling of experts is that there needs to be more research into the chemicals found in cannabis and their possible benefit."