Netflix’s new miniseries, Apple Cider Vinegar, plunges viewers into the world of twisted truths and influencer trickery as we follow Belle Gibson and her story of illness, wellness and deceit.
Based on the book, The Woman Who Fooled the World, the series is a “true-ish” story, following lies told by a woman of the same name.
Belle was an Australian influencer who conned her followers into thinking she had terminal brain cancer, which she supposedly cured with alternative therapies. But who is the real Belle and what really happened? Keep on reading…
Belle claimed she had terminal brain cancer (Credit: Youtube / 60 Minutes Australia)
Who is Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar based on?
In 2015, investigative journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano exposed popular wellness influencer Belle Gibson’s darkest secrets – her claims about having terminal brain cancer and donating proceeds from her wellness app to charity were completely untrue.
But how did she fool the world? Belle Gibson’s social media told the unbelievable story that after being told she only had four months to live, she had “cured” her inoperable brain cancer through following a plant-based diet.
As Belle’s story captured the hearts of users, giving many hope for more natural alternatives, her follower count sky-rocketed and as did the wellness industry surrounding her.
Now worth £2.8 trillion worldwide, the influence of social media creators largely bolstered the wellness business boom, with social media creators with very similar passions to Belle sharing their opinions and wellness techniques with users.
Belle built her empire on her lies (Credit: A Current Affair / Youtube)
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