A model has told her followers of her embarrassment after realising the young plant she bought on the internet that she had planted and watered for a week was actually plastic.

Brazilian model, actress and presenter Nicole Bahls recounted the story to her 6.3 million Instagram followers on 30th May.

She said: “I’ll tell you the best story of all. I always buy plantlets on the internet. Every week I’m planting something. I love to plant.”

The 35-year-old then recounted how she bought a young Swiss cheese plant from a website after being recommended the plant, whose scientific name is Monstera deliciosa, by some of her followers.

She said, laughing: “I looked and I really thought it was the most beautiful thing. I put it into Google and found this young Swiss cheese plant. I planted it and I spent a week watering it.

“Seeing that it wasn’t growing, that was when I discovered that what I had planted was plastic.

“Can you believe I planted a plastic plant and kept watering it? I’m done with myself. I don’t know who is crazier, if it’s me or my gardener, who has also been watering the plants.”

Following the gaffe, the model became one of the most-commented-on talking points amongst Brazilian netizens, and she even trended on Brazilian Twitter.

The video was subsequently reposted to different platforms, racking up millions of views

Television news editor Fernanda Lopes commented: “Thank you, Nicole Bahls, for putting a smile on Brazilians’ faces.”