February 8th 2025.
When Belle Gibson received her terminal brain cancer diagnosis in 2009, she made the bold decision to reject traditional medical treatment. Instead of undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, the young Australian woman turned to a healthy diet and lifestyle to cure her illness. In an effort to share her journey with the world, she launched a blog and Instagram account under the handle @healing_belle. The following year, at the age of 21, she released an app called the Whole Pantry, which quickly gained a dedicated following and was downloaded 200,000 times in its first month. But little did anyone know, her entire story was a fabricated lie.
At the time, Belle's app was awarded Apple's Best Food and Drink App and she even secured a book deal, publishing a cookbook with the same name. By 2015, her app and book had generated over $1 million in sales. In her book, Belle wrote about her approach to treating cancer through nutrition, patience, determination, and love. It seemed like a miraculous story, but it was all a hoax.
A new Netflix series, Apple Cider Vinegar, delves into the shocking true story of an influencer who faked having cancer. Belle Gibson built an empire based on a lie, and almost a decade after her deception was uncovered, her story is now the basis of a six-part series on the streaming platform. The show, created by Samantha Strauss (known for her work on Nine Perfect Strangers), was inspired by the book The Woman Who Fooled the World by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano. It explores the birth of Instagram, the allure of wellness culture, the rise of the "girl boss" start-up trend, and the age of innocence on social media where very few checks and balances were in place.
As her fame and public profile grew, Belle announced in 2014 that her cancer had spread to multiple areas of her body. But less than a year later, the truth began to unravel. It was revealed that she had never had cancer and that she had not donated any of her profits to the various charities she had pledged to support. She even accepted $75,000 for an interview on the TV show 60 Minutes. In an interview with the Australian Women's Weekly, she finally confessed that her whole story was a lie.
Her own family spoke out against her, with her mother Natalie Dal-Ballo revealing that Belle had fabricated medical problems and assumed them as her own. Her brother Nick described her as someone who craved attention. Belle became a pariah, particularly in her home country of Australia, where the public was outraged at her deceit. Her app was taken down and her book was pulled from shelves. While it's unclear if any cancer patients were harmed by following her false advice, some have spoken out about pausing their treatment after discovering Belle online and following her guidance.
In 2017, Belle was charged with breaking Australian consumer law. Her publisher, Penguin Australia, was fined $30,000 for not fact-checking her cookbook before its release, and her claims were found to be misleading and deceptive. She was eventually fined $410,000 for her actions, but to this day, she has not paid a single cent of the fine.
In the eyes of the judge, Belle had put her own interests before anyone else's and had shown a relentless obsession with herself. However, two years later, she was back in court after failing to pay the fine. Despite her claims of being broke, she was seen in public wearing expensive designer items. The last time she was seen in public was in 2020 when she claimed to be an adopted member of Melbourne's Oromo community and wanted to be called Sabontu. The Ethiopian community in Melbourne spoke out against her, accusing her of exploiting their generosity.
In 2021, the Office of Consumer Affairs filed an affidavit in the Federal Court stating that Belle had still not paid any of her fine and the case was marked as "abandoned". When the Netflix series based on her lies was announced, many criticized the production, saying they were uncomfortable with the idea of giving her more attention. However, when the trailer was released, many changed their minds and expressed curiosity about how the story would be portrayed.
Since its release, fans have been captivated by the series. Many have praised the show for its insight into the predatory behavior of online wellness influencers. The series stars Kaitlyn Dever as Belle, along with Alycia Debnam-Carey, Aisha Dee, and Tilda Cobham-Hervey. It is available to watch on Netflix.
As the saying goes, the truth always comes out in the end. Belle's story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of blindly following influencers and the importance of fact-checking. And while she may have built an empire on a lie, the truth has finally been revealed.
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