Apple Cider Vinegar has just hit Netflix, and it’s already making waves. This six-part docuseries unpacks the shocking story of Belle Gibson, the so-called wellness guru who built an empire on a lie, falsely claiming to be a cancer survivor to sell her brand and rake in millions.
Each episode unearths Belle’s past, exploring what led her to fabricate an entire identity and exploit people’s desperation for hope. From her rise as a wellness influencer to the moment her lies come cracking down, Apple Cider Vinegar pulls no punches, and exposes the dark side of the wellness industry.
Why does Belle Gibson Start to Lie About Having Cancer?
Belle’s life has been pretty dull, comprised of a dead-end job, zero excitement, and to top it off she was pregnant. Her boyfriend also checked out emotionally and didn’t even bother showing up to the baby shower she had planned so perfectly. Feeling invisible and craving some love, Belle starts telling the world and people around her that she has cancer and only has “six weeks to live” kinda deal. Soon, the comments started rolling in, strangers were calling her brave, sending virtual hugs, and hyping her up as an inspiration.
Belle becomes addicted to this attention, refuses to quit, and even starts to see this whole thing as her full-time job and a great career opportunity. Belle also starts her own e-commerce site “Organic Baby” and sweet-talks a tech nerd named Clive into upgrading the site, portraying herself as a lost and helpless girl in a big, bad world. When Insta blows up. Belle starts posting aesthetic pics, and emotional videos, and also launches an iPhone and Android app, along with a wellness handbook containing gluten-free, vegan recipes, which Belle claims helped her become cancer-free.
Who is Milla? What Happens to Her
Unlike Belle, who only claims to have beaten cancer, Milla actually lived through the nightmare. Milla used to have had everything—her dream job at Girlfriend Magazine, great ambitions, and lovely parents but then out of nowhere, she is diagnosed with a rare tissue sarcoma. The doctors advise her that amputating her arm is the only way to stop it from spreading. Milla refuses to accept that and starts digging, searching for another way like trying mistletoe therapy, but her doctors advise her that such treatments are nothing but bogus science, and can become a dangerous distraction from the only real option.
In their professional opinion, if Mills doesn’t go through with the amputation, she wouldn’t survive. Because of Milla, the doctors also decided to try an experimental treatment called isolated limb infusion which involves delivering a high dose of chemotherapy—ten times the usual amount—directly to the tumor site. Unfortunately, the survival rate for this procedure is only 38%, and her chances would have been much better if she had chosen to amputate her arm.
The treatment doesn’t work, but Milla still refuses to consider amputation. Instead, she travels to Mexico to try Hirsch Therapy, an alternative treatment. For a while, it seems to be helping, and she becomes convinced that she’s cured. During this time, Milla becomes a well-known influencer, sharing her experiences with others. She even writes a bestselling book called From Hell to Well, detailing her journey.
Sadly, the cancer returns and Emma’s arms develop painful blisters. Despite this, she refuses to see a doctor. Even when her mother falls seriously ill, Milla doesn’t allow her to seek conventional treatment, which tragically leads to her mom’s death. Not long after, Milla’s own cancer spreads, and she also passes away.
How Does Belle Gibson’s Lies Come Out?
When Milla and her friend Chanelle discover that Belle has been faking her story, they feel disgusted. Belle is misleading her followers, pushing a harmful diet, and encouraging people to ignore traditional medical treatment. The irony, however, is that Milla has been doing the same thing—selling fruit juices and promoting alternative therapies instead of advising cancer patients to seek professional medical help.
Whether out of jealousy or genuine concern for others, Milla decides to expose Belle and debunk her false claims before it’s too late. Justin, a journalist also jumps on the bandwagon to prove to his wife Lucy that Belle is a fraud. Justin fears that if Lucy follows Belle’s diet and treatment plans instead of trusting real doctors, she will definitely lose her life. Unfortunately, Milla succumbs to cancer before the truth about Belle can come out.
Towards the end of Apple Cider Vinegar Justin eventually uncovers the truth about Belle. He finds out that Belle has started a fundraiser for a young boy named Hunter, who was battling cancer, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars but the boy’s family never received a single cent. Digging deeper, Justin realizes that despite Belle’s public promises and social media posts about donating to charity, there’s no actual proof that she ever did. An entire article is published, calling Belle out and demanding she show evidence of her supposed donations—and even proof that she ever had cancer in the first place.
In a desperate attempt to save her reputation, Belle does a series of paid interviews, trying to control the narrative by claiming that the articles about her are an attack on her by a patriarchal system trying to silence a strong woman. This time people don’t buy her story and the truth comes out that Belle Gibson, known for being an inspiration for cancer survivors, was nothing more than a fraud who took advantage of people’s suffering to make money. As a result, Apple removes her app from the App Store, and Penguin pulls all copies of her book from shelves, even issuing a public apology.
What Happens to Belle Gibson? Does She Goes to Prison?
What Belle did wasn’t just wrong, it was illegal and could have cost lives. Who knows, maybe some of the cancer patients who followed her so-called “healing recipes” actually suffered because of them. On top of that, she scammed people and charities by keeping the fundraiser money for herself.
The most heartbreaking part is that Belle Gibson gave families like that of Fiona false hopes, making them believe that the money raised would help her son, Hunter, get proper cancer treatment. But all along, Belle had no intention of handing over a single dollar. If there’s one of the worst things a person can do, it’s giving false hope to those who are despairing and Belle Gibson did that every single day.
So, what happened to her? Did she ever face the consequences? The Netflix series doesn’t really go into all that, instead, it just tells viewers to “Google it.” But in reality, the real Belle Gibson—the woman this show is based on was charged with multiple counts of fraud. However, she managed to avoid jail time and was only ordered to pay nearly half a million in fines and damages but to this day, she still hasn’t paid up.
You can catch the show on Netflix.
Read More: Is Apple Cider Vinegar a True Story
