Netflix Miniseries Exposes Medical Controversy and Lies Behind Belle Gibson Story

Ever since its debut earlier this year, “Apple Cider Vinegar” by Samantha Strauss has attracted notice for its depiction of the Belle Gibson narrative. This series, in essence, presents a dramatized adaptation of real events, focusing on Gibson’s transformation from an ordinary young mother to a media darling peddling supposed natural cancer cures, which were later exposed as falsehoods.

The Apple Cider Vinegar series predominantly explores the influence of the Gibson brand and alleged deceptions, interweaving tales from various women who were moved by real cancer patients’ experiences. Although not all parts are factual, with some elements fictionalized for dramatic impact, the series effectively portrays how the Gibson brand affected her vast fanbase, as many chose to forego conventional treatments in favor of her non-medically validated remedies.

Apple Cider Vinegar is Based on the Controversial Belle Gibson Story

This drama portrays the real-life account of Belle Gibson, an Australian mother and businesswoman, who fabricated a tale about having terminal brain cancer to boost her line of alternative health products. She gained significant media attention with her popular recipe app and cookbook, claiming to have inspired thousands of sick women nationwide to embrace natural treatments. However, it was later revealed that her claims were false.

The show “Apple Cider Vinegar” unambiguously sets the stage that Gibson wasn’t paid for her role, reportedly due to Strauss’s unwillingness to defend her actions. The series chronicles every aspect of Gibson’s journey, from her reasons for fabricating tales to her behind-the-scenes crisis management techniques. Additionally, it delves into the stories of women who were inspired by Gibson and the consequences on their wellbeing and lives, such as Milla Blake, portrayed by , who suffers from a rare form of skin cancer, and Lucy, played by Tilda Cobham-Hervey, who is battling breast cancer.

Apple Cider Vinegar Tells Four Women’s Stories

Belle Gibson is the Lead Story

The narrative primarily revolves around Gibson, her transformation from an ordinary young mother into a celebrated figure in the media due to her line of natural remedies. The show employs flashbacks to depict Gibson’s longing for acknowledgement and support, which eventually drove her to fabricate a terminal brain cancer diagnosis, start a blog, and establish a brand that ultimately fulfilled her desire for attention. In terms of truthfulness, the series is generally faithful to the real-life events, with minor alterations in names and some dramatic embellishments added for narrative impact.

Speaking as a film enthusiast, I’d say: After relocating to Melbourne in 2009 and welcoming my son into the world shortly thereafter, I found myself battling brain cancer less than two years down the line. In response, I turned to Instagram to share my journey, exploring alternative lifestyle and nutritional choices beyond conventional medicine. The response was overwhelming – within a year, I had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers. Inspired by this support, I developed my app, The Whole Pantry, which offers guidance on holistic eating, wellness, and positive mindset practices. In 2013, Apple recognized the app as their Best Food and Drink offering of that year.

Afterward, she produced a cookbook bearing the same title, packed with around 80 recipes and guidance for adopting a healthy lifestyle. However, just as anticipated, her deceit began to unravel as people started detecting discrepancies in her narrative. In various media appearances, Gibson declared having multiple types of cancer, including spleen, liver, kidney, and blood cancers, as well as the brain cancer she’d battled for several years. Contradictorily, the introduction of her cookbook, which was released in November 2014, stated that she had been cancer-free for two years with no signs of growth.

Three months before the book release, she had likewise shared on her professional Facebook account that her cancer had metastasized and she had experienced a stroke. This led to questions and suspicion among followers due to the discrepancies in her statements and the lack of verifiable evidence to support her health claims.

Jessica Ainscough’s Story is the Most Heartbreaking

The main character in the upcoming season is Milla Blake, a figure who draws inspiration from multiple wellness influencers, particularly Jessica Ainscough. Much like Gibson, Blake opts for natural treatments rather than undergoing amputation due to a rare form of skin cancer, similar to Ainscough’s real-life situation. However, it’s important to note that while the series generally follows Ainscough’s story, there are some fictionalized aspects and, as you might expect, her name has been changed for dramatic purposes.

A young journalist for a teen magazine, named Ainscough, started a blog to chronicle her personal journey and offer aid to fellow cancer patients who opted against traditional treatments. Tragically, she passed away at age 29 from cancer, six years after embracing alternative therapies. Her tale is particularly moving in this series, as it emerged not from a desire for wealth, but rather from a deep conviction in the efficacy of alternative treatment and her wish to help other women.

Lucy’s Story is Not Based on One Specific Person

The following female character at the center of the series is named Lucy, who happens to be a stage 3 breast cancer patient. She’s drawn to Gibson’s story due to its similarities with other women and her belief in the safety of his suggested natural remedies. With a growing sense of urgency and dwindling hope beyond chemotherapy, Lucy is determined to survive at all costs.

To Justin’s (Mark Coles Smith) disappointment, Lucy admires Gibson so much that she starts disregarding medical advice, worrying that chemotherapy might harm her body instead. Regrettably, Lucy is among the countless women who trusted Gibson’s deceptions and put their lives on the line by seeking unconventional methods for survival.

Chanelle Was Gibson’s Assistant & Blake’s Friend

The main character of the story is Chanelle (played by Aisha Dee), who is Gibson’s assistant and a friend of Blake. Initially trusting Gibson and standing by her side, Chanelle becomes one of the first to suspect her deception. She teams up with Justin, a reporter, and his coworker Sean (Richard Davies) to reveal the truth about Gibson’s lies. Plagued by regret for having recommended Gibson to sick friends, Chanelle and the journalists interview people from her past and present to uncover the facts behind her diagnoses and compare them with medical research.

What were the Real Life Impact of Gibson’s Lies?

The show delves into the consequences of Gibson’s app and image, focusing particularly on how it affected women such as Lucy. For Lucy, Apple Cider Vinegar presents a mostly positive resolution; following her uncovering of Gibson’s deceit, she opts for conventional cancer treatments. However, the series underscores that not all followers of Gibson experienced such fortunate outcomes. It’s crucial to remember that there is no substantial proof indicating that Gibson’s assertions directly harmed a large number of cancer patients.

1) Her questionable cures, surprisingly, impacted the psychological well-being of numerous devotees. Unlike other popular figures during that period, such as Ainscough and Gibson, who were rumored to be terminally ill with cancer, seemed cheerful and hale. This led many followers to aim for a similar lifestyle, believing that by forgoing conventional medications or adhering to her diet in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, they too could avoid the undesirable side effects of standard treatments and enjoy a vibrant, healthy life.

One individual among these followers was Bella Johnson, who shared her story in March 2025. At 19 years old, Johnson had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Despite this, she was a dedicated fan of Gibson and incorporated her recipes into her treatment plan alongside traditional methods. Speaking about her aunt, also diagnosed with bowel cancer at the same age, Johnson shared:

My intended fate was death, while hers was a less severe illness. Somehow, our paths crossed, and she passed away only a few weeks after I received the clean bill of health. This incident has been particularly hard for me because I was sharing Belle Gibson’s advice with her, including suggestions about apricot trees and their potential cancer-curing properties. The photo of an apricot tree in the desert she posted remains vivid in my memory. According to Gibson, that town’s residents never had cancer due to harvesting and consuming apricot kernels. Although I didn’t fully understand this concept, I did share it with my auntie, telling her it could be a cure.

The main problem with Apple Cider Vinegar lies in its ability to instill false hope among cancer patients. Stories like Gibson’s led many individuals, such as Johnson and her aunt, to believe that these natural remedies could cure their cancers. However, unfortunately, Gibson was one of the few influential figures who provided a misleading promise of survival.

It’s highly likely that followers of the show found out that Gibson’s social media profiles were deleted following her exposure in 2015. An article revealing her misdeeds disclosed that not only did Gibson falsely claim to have cancer, but she also exaggerated charitable donations, actually giving less than 3% of the $300,000 she claimed. Consumer Affairs Victoria launched an investigation, which found that she had broken the Australian Consumer Law Act, and she was subsequently fined a hefty $410,000.

Currently, there’s been word that she hasn’t paid her fines and has faded from public attention. However, rumors suggest she’s been accepted into Melbourne’s Oromo community in Ethiopia. The Apple Cider Vinegar series offers an insightful analysis of Gibson’s reasons for these actions, with a particular focus on the repercussions she faced. Although the series incorporates some fictional elements, it largely aligns with Gibson’s stated background and the impact her deceptions had on cancer patients through her brand.

2025-04-27 02:36