TV DOCTOR Dr. Christian Jessen has raised less than £10,000 in three months on his GoFundMe fundraising campaign that was set up to fundraise for damages he was ordered to pay to former First Minister Arlene Foster.

Dr. Jessen originally set up the page on May 22 with a target of £150,000, two days prior to the then pending outcome of the high-profile libel trial he was at the heart of.

The trial's ruling subsequently saw the TV presenter ordered to pay damages of £125,000 to Mrs. Foster, plus her legal costs, for posting an “outrageous” defamatory tweet which made unfounded claims that the Fermanagh South Tyrone MLA and then First Minister was having an extramarital affair.

Mrs. Foster successfully sued the celebrity medic – best known for appearing in the Channel 4 show 'Embarrassing Bodies' – for defamation for the tweet he posted on December 23, 2019, making the false allegation about her of an affair to his 300,000-plus followers.

The tweet remained online until Dr. Jessen deleted it on January 7, 2020.

The fundraising goal has now changed to £15,000, with the reason for this change unknown. There is currently no time limit on the fundraiser, so Dr. Christian may still raise 15,000 on his ‘Support Dr. Christian’ page.

Posting on the GoFundMe website in May, Dr. Jessen wrote: "On January 28, 2020, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, issued libel proceedings against me over a tweet I published in December, 2019, which the High Court has held as defamatory.

"I was ordered to pay libel damages and full indemnity legal costs incurred by her, which shall be substantial. I gave evidence to the court about my mental health and personal circumstances over the last year.

"I am also considering an appeal, and I am seeking to raise funds to help me fight what is a most unfair situation.

"As these legal proceedings have involved some very personal issues and revelations, any monies raised surplus to the costs will be donated to relevant charities.”