• Apple Cider Vinegar is a new Netflix miniseries
  • It is inspired by the now-debunked health influencer Belle Gibson
  • The miniseries stars Kaitlyn Dever
Belle Gibson inspired Apple Cider Vinegar.
Apple Cider Vinegar is based on Belle Gibson’s influencing empire

Apple Cider Vinegar is Netflix’s latest miniseries inspired by a true story

Adapted from the 2017 book The Woman Who Fooled The World, the streamer made the six-part series based on the lies of Australian wellness influencer Belle Gibson, who claimed that holistic living was enough to treat her brain cancer.

It stars Kaitlyn Dever as Gibson, who in 2015 admitted she never had cancer.

“Set at the birth of Instagram, two women set out to cure life-threatening illnesses through health and wellness, influencing their millions of followers. All of which would be incredibly inspiring, if it were all true…,” Netflix posted on X.

Read more: Everything we know about Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar

Who is Belle Gibson, the Apple Cider Vinegar based on?

Apple Cider Vinegar
Belle Gibson inspired Apple Cider Vinegar

Born and raised in Australia, Gibson came to fame as a wellness blogger who asserted that a mix of diet, exercise and alternative medicines were able to treat her brain cancer in lieu of chemotherapy.

In addition, she also alleged to have undergone various heart surgeries, a stroke, and the cancer had spread.

Using her website, The Whole Pantry, Gibson fostered a large online following that believed her lies. Her Instagram amassed 300,000 followers, along with her popular blog.

Many have suggested that she suffers from Münchausen syndrome, a condition that leads people to fake illnesses to get attention.

When Belle Gibson’s lies become public?

In 2015, one of Gibson’s pals, Chanelle McAuliffe, tipped off The Age investigative reporters Nick Toscano and Beau Donelly about her suspicions. At first, they were dubious of McAuliffe’s claims, which included Gibson faking a seizure at her son’s birthday party.

However, they dug deeper before publishing their bombshell findings that year.

“I started that call feeling very critical, almost dismissive, of Chanelle’s claims, but I came away from it absolutely fascinated by what she was saying.” Donelly told The Morning Edition podcast.

“So, the first thing I did was I went to Instagram, and I looked Belle Gibson up. I looked at what she’d been saying, and I very quickly noticed that everything, including her health claims, were either really vague or totally inconsistent or just seemingly implausible.”

Read more: Ginny & Georgia: All we know so far

Did Belle Gibson ever confess?

Gibson went on record to The Australian Women’s Weekly to say “none of it was true” that same year.

She continued, “I don’t want forgiveness… I just think [speaking out] was the responsible thing to do. Above anything, I would like people to say, ‘Okay, she’s human. She’s obviously had a big life. She’s respectfully come to the table and said what she’s needed to say, and now it’s time for her to grow and heal.’”

Gibson went on to say that she never lied about having cancer because she was apparently told she did by two men she declined to name.

“I think my life has just got so many complexities around it and within it, that it’s just easier to assume [I’m lying],” she said.

While doing a sit-down interview with 60 Minutes Australia, she denied ever having malicious intent.

Gibson told Tara Brown, “Once I started to figure out where I stood and what reality actually was and I received the definitive ‘No you do not have cancer,’ then that was something that I had to come to terms with. That takes a lot. I was feeling a huge amount of grief… that I had been lied to and that I felt like I had been taken for a ride. It took me a lot to unpack that.”

Did Belle Gibson, the inspiration behind Apple Cider Vinegar, ever face criminal charges?

No, she has never been indicted criminally for her lies. However, upon the fallout, much of her wares, like her cookbooks, were pulled from shelves.

Gibson was hit with a $410,000 penalty from a federal judge but it remains unpaid. After she failed to turn up in court, Gibson admitted she couldn’t afford the fine.

Records show that she had spent $91,000 on clothes, betting, and cryptocurrency. According to the papers, her then-boyfriend Clive Rothwell footed the bill

When asked about this by journalists, Gibson said, “Have some humanity. I haven’t paid things because I can’t afford to.”

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Clara Hill
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