Australia’s biggest wellness scam exposed—now it’s a Netflix series you won’t believe
- Replies 0
A massive deception once rocked the wellness community, leaving countless lives affected by false promises of health and healing.
What seemed like an inspiring story of triumph over illness turned out to be a carefully constructed web of lies.
Now, the tale of betrayal and its far-reaching consequences is set to unfold on screen, bringing the shocking details to light.
The wellness scam that swept across Australia involved Belle Gibson, a woman who falsely claimed to have overcome terminal brain cancer.
She attributed her supposed recovery to healthy living, wellness practices, and a diet of fruit and vegetables.
However, it was later revealed that Gibson never actually had cancer.
Now, Netflix is set to air a TV series inspired by this scandal—without any involvement from Gibson, who won’t receive any earnings from it, according to the streaming service.
Filmed in Melbourne, Apple Cider Vinegar is a six-episode series that explores Gibson's rise in the wellness world, followed by her dramatic fall, based on the true story built on a lie.
Kaitlyn Dever (known for Booksmart and Dopesick) plays the role of Gibson, delivering a powerful performance with a convincing Australian accent, bringing depth to the character.
Despite Gibson being perceived as largely irredeemable, the show explores the complexities of her motivations.
Creator Samantha Strauss reflects on the empathy she felt for the character.
Strauss shared: 'The discomfort is real,' acknowledging the uncomfortable nature of empathising with someone who caused so much harm.
She explained that while she felt for Gibson, the character of Lucy—another central figure—was crucial in grounding the narrative, especially when understanding the stakes of the story.
The series is loosely based on the 2017 book The Woman Who Fooled The World by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, who uncovered Gibson’s lies in a 2015 exposé for The Age.
Strauss said her choice to expand beyond the scam was intentional, aiming to explore the real-world consequences of Gibson’s actions.
Alycia Debnam-Carey (from Fear The Walking Dead and The 100) plays Milla Blake, a character who rejects amputation.
Instead, she embraces the belief that food can fight cancer, based on Gibson’s dangerous rhetoric.
Milla’s story mirrors that of Jessica Ainscough, a wellness advocate who died of epithelioid sarcoma in 2015, after promoting similar unfounded health claims.
Tilda Cobham-Hervey, known for The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and Hotel Mumbai, portrays Lucy, a woman with breast cancer drawn into Gibson’s world of misinformation.
Mark Coles Smith plays Lucy’s husband, a journalist seeking to expose the truth behind Belle’s lies.
Strauss clarified: 'I didn’t want to glorify Belle and give her a six-episode biopic. This is a story about wellness, medicine, being a young woman, and living and dying.'
She further explained: 'You can’t tell Belle’s story without telling the real-life stakes of her story.'
Dever's personal connection to the role added depth to her portrayal of Belle Gibson, especially after losing her mother to breast cancer the previous year.
She admitted: 'This story hits home for me in a deeper way than anything I’ve ever done.'
The actor shared that while the series is emotionally charged, it also offers lighter moments, with Strauss skillfully balancing darker themes with moments of humour and visual flair.
The series also explores the gendered nature of healthcare, with characters navigating unequal power dynamics within medical spaces.
Aisha Dee, who played Chanelle, found the portrayal of medical misogyny particularly resonant.
'As a woman trying to advocate for herself in the medical world, I think it can be really difficult to get doctors to believe when you say something is wrong,' she said.
A 2024 report from the Department of Health and Aged Care revealed that two-thirds of Australian women have experienced healthcare-related gender bias or discrimination.
The series also examines the immense pressure women face regarding their health, appearance, and medical decisions.
This is reflected in Milla’s struggle with the prospect of losing her arm.
Debnam-Carey explained, 'It can be so easily dismissed by the doctors as vanity, but he’s also never been a young woman having to take away something so personal as an arm.'
Strauss elaborated on Milla's motivations: 'She was a young woman. She was a type-A personality. She felt she needed to be beautiful, she needed to be perfect, to be good enough.'
Strauss also acknowledged the impact of misinformation in the oncology world, where dangerous 'internet facts' can mislead cancer patients into rejecting proven treatments.
She recalled: 'A friend of mine is doing it right now, and you don’t know for years if it works or not. There’s no magic pill you can take. You just have to do these terrible things to your body.'
Experts have warned of the deadly consequences of the spread of misinformation related to cancer, such as false treatment claims, which were a core element of Gibson’s influence.
In 2017, Gibson was ordered by the Federal Court of Australia to pay $410,000 in penalties for making fraudulent medical claims and misleading donation appeals.
Marlene Kairouz, then the consumer affairs minister, condemned Gibson’s actions: 'Belle Gibson sold a web of lies to vulnerable, desperate people—and thought she could get away with it.'
Debnam-Carey highlighted the broader emotional appeal of Apple Cider Vinegar: 'I think a lot of people know someone who has gone through something like this. We all have connections to people who have suffered and have had that pain.'
She reflected on the immense scale of Gibson's rise and fall: 'It really shows how extraordinary Belle’s rise and fall from grace really is.’
‘The reach she had, the scale of destruction she left behind, it’s pretty overwhelming.'
Watch the trailer below.
Have you ever encountered misleading wellness claims? Share your thoughts in the comments.
What seemed like an inspiring story of triumph over illness turned out to be a carefully constructed web of lies.
Now, the tale of betrayal and its far-reaching consequences is set to unfold on screen, bringing the shocking details to light.
The wellness scam that swept across Australia involved Belle Gibson, a woman who falsely claimed to have overcome terminal brain cancer.
She attributed her supposed recovery to healthy living, wellness practices, and a diet of fruit and vegetables.
However, it was later revealed that Gibson never actually had cancer.
Now, Netflix is set to air a TV series inspired by this scandal—without any involvement from Gibson, who won’t receive any earnings from it, according to the streaming service.
Filmed in Melbourne, Apple Cider Vinegar is a six-episode series that explores Gibson's rise in the wellness world, followed by her dramatic fall, based on the true story built on a lie.
Kaitlyn Dever (known for Booksmart and Dopesick) plays the role of Gibson, delivering a powerful performance with a convincing Australian accent, bringing depth to the character.
Despite Gibson being perceived as largely irredeemable, the show explores the complexities of her motivations.
Creator Samantha Strauss reflects on the empathy she felt for the character.
Strauss shared: 'The discomfort is real,' acknowledging the uncomfortable nature of empathising with someone who caused so much harm.
She explained that while she felt for Gibson, the character of Lucy—another central figure—was crucial in grounding the narrative, especially when understanding the stakes of the story.
The series is loosely based on the 2017 book The Woman Who Fooled The World by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, who uncovered Gibson’s lies in a 2015 exposé for The Age.
Strauss said her choice to expand beyond the scam was intentional, aiming to explore the real-world consequences of Gibson’s actions.
Alycia Debnam-Carey (from Fear The Walking Dead and The 100) plays Milla Blake, a character who rejects amputation.
Instead, she embraces the belief that food can fight cancer, based on Gibson’s dangerous rhetoric.
Milla’s story mirrors that of Jessica Ainscough, a wellness advocate who died of epithelioid sarcoma in 2015, after promoting similar unfounded health claims.
Tilda Cobham-Hervey, known for The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and Hotel Mumbai, portrays Lucy, a woman with breast cancer drawn into Gibson’s world of misinformation.
Mark Coles Smith plays Lucy’s husband, a journalist seeking to expose the truth behind Belle’s lies.
Strauss clarified: 'I didn’t want to glorify Belle and give her a six-episode biopic. This is a story about wellness, medicine, being a young woman, and living and dying.'
She further explained: 'You can’t tell Belle’s story without telling the real-life stakes of her story.'
Dever's personal connection to the role added depth to her portrayal of Belle Gibson, especially after losing her mother to breast cancer the previous year.
She admitted: 'This story hits home for me in a deeper way than anything I’ve ever done.'
The actor shared that while the series is emotionally charged, it also offers lighter moments, with Strauss skillfully balancing darker themes with moments of humour and visual flair.
The series also explores the gendered nature of healthcare, with characters navigating unequal power dynamics within medical spaces.
Aisha Dee, who played Chanelle, found the portrayal of medical misogyny particularly resonant.
'As a woman trying to advocate for herself in the medical world, I think it can be really difficult to get doctors to believe when you say something is wrong,' she said.
A 2024 report from the Department of Health and Aged Care revealed that two-thirds of Australian women have experienced healthcare-related gender bias or discrimination.
The series also examines the immense pressure women face regarding their health, appearance, and medical decisions.
This is reflected in Milla’s struggle with the prospect of losing her arm.
Debnam-Carey explained, 'It can be so easily dismissed by the doctors as vanity, but he’s also never been a young woman having to take away something so personal as an arm.'
Strauss elaborated on Milla's motivations: 'She was a young woman. She was a type-A personality. She felt she needed to be beautiful, she needed to be perfect, to be good enough.'
Strauss also acknowledged the impact of misinformation in the oncology world, where dangerous 'internet facts' can mislead cancer patients into rejecting proven treatments.
She recalled: 'A friend of mine is doing it right now, and you don’t know for years if it works or not. There’s no magic pill you can take. You just have to do these terrible things to your body.'
Experts have warned of the deadly consequences of the spread of misinformation related to cancer, such as false treatment claims, which were a core element of Gibson’s influence.
In 2017, Gibson was ordered by the Federal Court of Australia to pay $410,000 in penalties for making fraudulent medical claims and misleading donation appeals.
Marlene Kairouz, then the consumer affairs minister, condemned Gibson’s actions: 'Belle Gibson sold a web of lies to vulnerable, desperate people—and thought she could get away with it.'
Debnam-Carey highlighted the broader emotional appeal of Apple Cider Vinegar: 'I think a lot of people know someone who has gone through something like this. We all have connections to people who have suffered and have had that pain.'
She reflected on the immense scale of Gibson's rise and fall: 'It really shows how extraordinary Belle’s rise and fall from grace really is.’
‘The reach she had, the scale of destruction she left behind, it’s pretty overwhelming.'
Watch the trailer below.
Have you ever encountered misleading wellness claims? Share your thoughts in the comments.
