The Real Story Behind 'Apple Cider Vinegar': Belle Gibson's Wellness Scam, Explained
Netflix's 'Apple Cider Vinegar' is a fictional T.V. show based on a real-life wellness scandal. Here, we unpack the true story behind the new series, which premiered on February 6.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-21975007744-f2333003c2404b1daf663cb02f4dd970.jpeg)
Photo:
Don Arnold/Getty Images
There are no shortage of wellness influencers on the internet today, but, as with all creators who contend with the attention economy, only a handful ever achieve global, goop-level fame. Among them? Belle Gibson, an Australian whose rise and fall is now the subject of a new (albeit fictional) Netflix show, Apple Cider Vinegar.
Based on the 2017 book The Woman Who Fooled the World, the new show Apple Cider Vinegar follows three main characters—Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever), Milla Blake (Alycia Debnam-Carey), and Chanelle (Aisha Dee)—as they navigate the world of influencer wellness. Gibson quickly shoots to fame when she reveals that she once had brain cancer, however, there's a catch: she's lying.
"Apple Cider Vinegar is a true-ish story based on a lie, about the rise and fall of a wellness empire, the culture that built it up, and the people who tore it down," Netflix said. "The series has its inspirations in real events, but it is a work of fiction."
While the show is fictional, the origin story as reported by The Woman Who Fooled the World is not. Ahead, the true story that inspired Apple Cider Vinegar, explained.
@bellegibsonofficial
Gibson shot to fame in the early days of Instagram as a food blogger and wellness advocate. Her story was as viral-worthy as they come: she claimed to have cured herself of a "malignant brain tumor" in 2009 by withdrawing from chemotherapy despite having "six weeks, four months tops" to live.
Gibson detailed her journey in her book The Whole Pantry, explaining that she embarked on “a quest to heal myself naturally… empowering myself to save my own life, through nutrition, patience, determination and love—as well as vitamin and Ayurvedic treatments, craniosacral therapy, and a whole lot of other treatments." She launched an app of the same name in 2013 and reportedly earned over $1 million from the combined sales, according to Elle.
Despite the impossibility of surviving a brain tumor without treatment, Gibson continued to up the ante, telling her followers that she was also diagnosed with "cancer in my blood, spleen, brain, uterus, and liver."
“You are THE most inspirational person I have ever encountered," one follower wrote in response to Gibson's disclosure, as reported by The Independent. "I ‘look’ at you in awe, in wonder and in the greatest admiration I have ever felt for anyone.”
Gibson achieved mainstream success with the launch of her app, The Whole Pantry, and her book, also titled The Whole Pantry, which offered "more than 80 new, delicious and nourishing plant-based recipes (gluten, dairy and corn free) aimed at nurturing the body."
Despite the book's success, however, critics began to publicly doubt Gibson's claims. In July 2013, she took to Facebook to double down on her story: “It is unfortunate someone [is] trying to discredit the natural healing path I am on," she wrote. "I have been healing a severe and malignant brain cancer for the past few years with natural medicine, Gerson therapy and foods. It is working for me.”
Claims against Gibson ramped up in 2015 when she failed to donate $300,00 to five charities after soliciting money from her social media followers. Fairfax Media broke the story on March 8. "Fairfax Media understands some friends held an 'intervention' at Ms. Gibson's beachside apartment in Elwood last last year, questioning her about her illness," the Sydney Morning Herald reported. "'She admitted her diagnosis was questionable,' a former friend said."
Amid increasing scrutiny, Gibson admitted that she might have been “misdiagnosed” over some aspects of her health problems, adding that “it’s hard to admit that maybe you were wrong” and saying she was “confused, bordering on humiliated."
Gibson's scheme unraveled from there. She was charged with "false claims...concerning her diagnosis with terminal brain cancer, her rejection of conventional cancer treatments in favour of natural remedies, and the donation of proceeds to various charities" by Consumer Affairs Victoria in 2016 and convicted by the Federal Court of Australia in 2017. She was also fined $410,000 for making false claims about donating to charity (her home was raided in 2020 and again in 2021 in an effort to recoup the unpaid fines).
The release of Apple Cider Vinegar is not the first time that Gibson's story has gotten the star treatment. In 2023, ITV produced a two-part documentary series about her rise and fall titled Instagram's Worst Con Artist. As for the fictional rendering? Tune in to Netflix on February 6.
The Green Bay Packers finished at 11-6 in 2024, a two-game improvement over the previous season and, despite losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card playoff round, a good sign for the team as it pushes to get back into contention after the end of the franchise’s Aaron Rodgers era. The Packers […]
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
It was the fourth quake to hit the UK in less than 24 hours and was centred around a popular brewery in the West Midlands, with the boss revealing exactly what happened
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Ben Stiller discusses his separation and reconciliation with wife Christine Taylor in a new interview, saying he didn't think they would get back together, but he didn't want to give up.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Gisele Bundchen was romantically linked to Joaquim Valente following her 2022 split from ex-husband Tom Brady
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
"Slow Ride" singer Colt Ford described how he switched to a healthier lifestyle after he "died twice" from a near-fatal heart attack in April 2024.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Patrick Mahomes has experienced much more success than failure during his standout NFL career, but his lone Super Bowl loss still appears to bother him.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Olivia Holt says "it would be a dream" to star as Britney Spears in pop star's upcoming biopic.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
“Every time he’s on set, he asks me if he can be a child actor.”
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The child is Bündchen's first with her boyfriend, Joaquim Valente.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Just In: The Simple Reason Why Taylor Swift Didn’t Win Any Grammy Awards Revealed. Believe me, it will blow your mind
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.