Netflix’s new series Apple Cider Vinegar, premiering on February 6, delves into the shocking true story of Belle Gibson, an Australian wellness guru who falsely claimed to have cured her terminal brain cancer through natural remedies. The show, inspired by the book The Woman Who Fooled The World by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, serves as a cautionary tale about misinformation in the wellness industry.
Belle Gibson first gained prominence in 2013 through Instagram, using the handle “Healing Belle.” Her aesthetically curated feed chronicled her supposed battle with brain cancer, advocating for alternative treatments over conventional medicine. Her popularity skyrocketed with the release of The Whole Pantry app, which became an instant success on the Apple App Store. In 2014, she further expanded her brand with a cookbook of the same name. Over two years, she amassed half a million dollars from her business ventures.
Belle Gibson’s influence extended beyond food and lifestyle advice—followers sought her guidance on alternative treatments for serious medical conditions. Though Netflix‘s Apple Cider Vinegar takes creative liberties, it highlights the dangerous allure of wellness influencers who promote unverified medical claims.
The series introduces Milla (played by Alycia Debnam-Carey), a cancer patient who gains popularity for allegedly managing her illness through diet. While fictional, Milla’s character draws from real-life wellness advocate Jess Ainscough. A former teen magazine editor, Ainscough documented her alternative approach to cancer treatment and gained a substantial following. Unlike in the show, where Milla actively works to expose Belle’s fraud, Ainscough and Gibson were never close. However, Gibson’s dramatic display of grief at Ainscough’s funeral raised suspicions, occurring just as journalists Donelly and Toscano began investigating her claims.
Investigative journalists at The Age received a tip from one of Gibson’s acquaintances who doubted her cancer diagnosis. Netflix‘s Apple Cider Vinegar dramatizes this through a journalist character named Justin (Mark Coles Smith), who becomes suspicious of Belle after his partner, a cancer patient, turns to her advice.
Journalists struggled to find sources willing to go on record about Gibson’s deception. However, when they uncovered that none of the charities she promised donations to had received funds, the cracks in her story widened. In March 2015, The Age published a damning exposé, followed by Gibson’s eventual admission in The Australian Women’s Weekly that she had fabricated her cancer diagnosis.
Despite years of scrutiny, Belle Gibson’s motivations remain unclear. According to Toscano, Gibson had a history of fabricating medical crises to garner sympathy, dating back to childhood claims of heart surgeries and near-death experiences. Netflix‘s Apple Cider Vinegar deliberately avoids diagnosing Gibson with any mental illness, focusing instead on the broader implications of her deception.
The show underscores the dangers of misinformation in the wellness industry. As Toscano notes, many alternative health influencers push unproven remedies as replacements for conventional treatment, posing serious risks to vulnerable individuals.
By bringing Gibson’s story to the screen, Apple Cider Vinegar serves as a stark reminder to critically evaluate health claims, particularly when they seem too good to be true. You can watch the series streaming now on Netflix.
