Kaitlyn Dever as Belle Gibson (Image: NETFLIX)
The Netflix limited series Apple Cider Vinegar, premiering on February 6, unravels the shocking tale of wellness influencer Belle Gibson. She deceived the world into believing she was battling brain cancer and leveraged her social media presence to advocate for holistic cures.
In the nascent days of , Belle, portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever, exploited the trust of her vast online audience. The real-life figure, Annabelle Natalie Gibson, 33, is an Australian convicted fraudster who developed The Whole Pantry mobile app and its associated cookbook.
She falsely professed to have been diagnosed with multiple cancers, including terminal brain cancer, and claimed to be managing them through diet, natural remedies, and alternative therapies. She also purported to have donated substantial portions of her company’s profits to charities—a claim that proved false.
It wasn’t until 2015 that she faced accusations of fraudulent claims about her charitable donations, and subsequently, her lies about her cancer, personal life, and even age were exposed. Her lavish lifestyle was funded by the money she alleged to have given to charity.
As the truth surfaced and her social media followers began to distance themselves, she confessed in an April 2015 interview that her cancer diagnosis was a fabrication.
The real Belle Gibson created The Whole Pantry (Image: BBC)
In 2016, Belle Gibson faced legal action from Consumer Affairs Victoria, and the following year, the Federal Court of Australia ruled that she had no reasonable grounds to believe she had cancer.
Born in Tasmania, Belle claimed to have left her family home at the tender age of 12.
She became a mother at 18 and launched The Whole Pantry mobile app three years later, at 21. The app was reportedly downloaded 200,000 times in its first month and was crowned Apple’s Best Food and Drink App of 2013.
Shortly after, she secured a book deal and published a cookbook. By 2015, it was estimated that sales from The Whole Pantry app and book had generated over $1 million.
However, doubts about her operation surfaced when she failed to donate a promised $300,000 to charity. Despite this, she registered the domain The Whole Life, intending to expand her brand portfolio.
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Belle Gibson spotted at a food market (Image: BBC)
Both The Whole Pantry app and The Whole Life were registered by her partner, Clive Rothwell, under her corporate name. After accusations of deceit emerged, The Whole Pantry began deleting any Facebook comments questioning Belle’s claims.
In September 2017, she was fined $410,000 for making false claims about her charity donations, but as of April 2019, she had not paid the fine. In January 2020 and May 2021, the Sheriff’s Office of Victoria raided her Northcote home and seized items to recover the unpaid fines, which by then had surpassed half a million dollars.
The teaser for the upcoming series has sparked a frenzy of excitement, with subscribers flocking to to express their anticipation. One enthusiast exclaimed: “Kaityln Dever + limited series based on a true story? Hell yes. Unbelievable and Dopesick were soo good, hope this one doesn’t disappoint either.”
Kaitlyn Dever as Belle Gibson (Image: NETFLIX)
Another user, Daniiiii, chimed in: “Also it is just a coincidence but both series have such apt and on point names. Dopesick speaks for itself and here Apple Cider Vinegar is just genius, it is literally the first thing you will get told online to drink, bathe in, snort, cook with, use as eye drops, boil the clothes in, cleanse the baby with, just simply everything.”
Ornery-Deer-7385 also contributed: “Well, the actual true story is so wild that it’s not going to disappoint. It just can’t be made badly. As the saying goes, the story writes itself.”
Apple Cider Vinegar airs on on February 6