Belle Gibson: Fraud, social media and apple cider vinegar
With the release of the Netflix show Apple Cider Vinegar, the name Belle Gibson is on everyone’s lips. Back in 2015, Gibson was everywhere in the media, and she has once again found herself thrust into the spotlight thanks to the series.
But who exactly is Belle Gibson, and what did she do to become known around the world? The answer revolves around an incredibly shocking and disturbing web of lies and deceit.
Join us at Crime+Investigation as we investigate Belle Gibson's life and how she tricked thousands of people into believing her twisted lies.
Belle Gibson’s early life
It’s hard to know what details of Belle Gibson's life are real and which are false due to her compulsive lying. She was reportedly born Annabelle Natalie Gibson in Launceston, Tasmania, on 8th October 1991, though her date of birth has come into question multiple times.
She attended Wynnum State High School in Queensland before dropping out in Year 10. However, she also made claims that she was homeschooled. In 2008, she relocated to Perth before moving to Melbourne in 2009 and giving birth to a son when she was 18.
Her lies started at a young age, according to those who knew her. An ex-boyfriend spoke of how she was always making up stories, while a former classmate called her a ‘pathological liar'.
Belle’s cancer lies
In 2012, Belle opened an Instagram account called '@healing_belle'. It was there that she told the most despicable lie possible: she had brain cancer.
This wasn’t the first time that Belle made this unsubstantiated claim (along with other extreme medical claims that were never proven), but it was the most significant.
Belle used her platform to promote nutritional and lifestyle changes over traditional medicine. She documented her fabricated story via her Instagram, claiming she had cured herself with these healthier life choices. She also advocated for alternative therapies such as oxygen therapy, colonics, and craniosacral therapy.
Belle encouraged others dealing with cancer to do the same. Within a year, she had gained around 200,000 followers.
The reality was that Belle never had brain cancer. This was confirmed via medical records of a brain scan she had in 2011, showing no signs of cancer whatsoever.
The Whole Pantry app
In 2013, Belle launched her own health app called The Whole Pantry. The app was hugely successful when it was released, with more than 200,000 downloads.
She signed book deals and worked with Apple again to transition The Whole Pantry to the Apple Watch. Belle cemented herself as a highly successful health and wellness guru, but the brand was built on lies.
The truth comes out
Suspicions of Belle’s honesty began to surface when she failed to make a promised $300,000 donation to charity. Investigative journalists Nick Toscano and Beau Donelly received a tip about Belle’s failure to donate, and this is where her lies began to unravel.
Toscano and Donelly dived deep into Belle’s claims. Their findings were published in The Age newspaper, making Belle’s deceptions public.
Belle’s reputation was in tatters, so she agreed to be interviewed with 60 Minutes Australia to rebuild her public image. The interview has since become infamous for Belle’s inability to answer simple questions honestly as well as her lack of evidence of her supposed illnesses.
The consequences
Gibson’s lies led to legal proceedings being taken out against her by Consumer Affairs Victoria due to deceptive conduct.
In 2017, she was found guilty by the Federal Court of Australia. She was fined AU$410,000 which has yet to be paid as of 2025.
Where is Belle Gibson now?
Belle Gibson has kept a low profile since she was exposed. There have been a few sightings of her, most notably in 2020 when she aligned herself with the Ethiopian community in Melbourne.
Belle’s lies were not only shocking, but they had a devastating impact on those genuinely suffering from cancer.
Belle was charismatic, believable, and seemed to be at the peak of health despite all her illnesses. She gave cancer sufferers hope that they too could become like her.
She also was clearly promoting holistic methods over traditional cancer treatment, which may well have led to her followers trying to do the same.
Belle Gibson is a serial attention seeker, and she got what she wanted in that respect. She will be remembered, but only for her heinous deceit and sickening fraudulence.
Want to stay up to date on all things crime? Then make sure to subscribe to the Crime+Investigation newsletter. Subscribing will grant you exclusive access to a range of content, from videos to news articles.
