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The story of Belle Gibson’s deception. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
In 2009, Belle Gibson said that doctors had given her six weeks to live after discovering a cancerous brain tumour.
In a recent ITV programme, Belle Gibson — whom Cosmopolitan previously praised as a “fun fearless female” — was exposed. Gibson, who gained enormous popularity as a wellness influencer, is currently under fire for her erroneous claims after it was alleged that she misled her followers into believing that she had been able to live a healthy lifestyle and handle a terminal cancer diagnosis. The then-21-year-old Australian influencer’s horrific deception story is being detailed in a new ITV documentary, Instagram’s Worst Con Artist, which premiered on Thursday, April 25.
Viewers will discover in the two-part documentary series how Gibson’s social media prominence and success plummeted after it was discovered during an inquiry that she had never received a brain cancer diagnosis.
In 2009, Gibson said that doctors had given her six weeks to live after discovering a cancerous brain tumour. She said that the chemotherapy made her ill, so she started receiving alternative treatments.
As she claimed to have healed her cancer with a gluten- and sugar-free diet and a wellness lifestyle, the influencer released a book with Penguin and The Whole Pantry app in 2013. In the first month of its release, 200,000 downloads were made of the app.
She also stated that she suffered a stroke, had many heart surgeries and momentarily passed away on the operating table. Later, she revealed to her followers that her cancer had progressed to her liver, uterus, spleen and blood.
As stated in the new ITV documentary, Belle experienced a seizure that she recovered from swiftly after someone recommended calling an ambulance, which made Chanelle McAuliffe — one of Gibson’s closest friends — suspicious about her health.
When investigative journalist Richard Guillatt — whose wife had just received a cancer diagnosis — started calling specialists about Gibson’s disease claims, he became suspicious. He said in the documentary, “I realised if it’s a scam, it’s a really big scam.” “She had hundreds of thousands of followers all around the world.”
Gibson said her doctor had given her a brain cancer diagnosis and then disappeared when Guillatt visited her for an interview. She admitted to Guillatt that she was beginning to wonder if she really had cancer. Guillatt stated, “Christ almighty, Belle, you’re kidding, you actually don’t have cancer?” in a meeting recording that was made available to ITV. “This was just the last thing I expected…Belle Gibson just recanted on the record. She’s basically saying she can’t back up her cancer claims.”
Gibson released The Whole Pantry, an app, in 2013. Three years later, she was being looked into by Consumer Affairs Victoria for allegedly engaging in “misleading and deceptive conduct” on her donations to charitable organisations. In September 2017, the influencer received a $410,000 (Aus) (Over Rs 2 crore) fine.
Gibson stated that she owed $170,000 (Aus) (Over Rs 92 lakh) and had $5,000 (Aus) (Almost Rs 3 lakh) in her possession after the fine. Gibson’s residence was raided by the Victoria Sheriff’s Office in 2020 and 2021 in an attempt to collect outstanding penalties that, with interest, already exceeded half a million dollars.
Following the home invasion, Gibson was shown on camera claiming to be living with an Ethiopian community in Melbourne. Tarekegn Chimdia, the president of the Australian Oromo Community Association in Victoria, however, refuted Gibson’s claims. He told Daily Mail Australia, “It was concerning when someone who is not a member of that community is using that community’s name. She is not involved in any fundraising for us. I have not seen her since that happened.”
Belle Gibson is thought to be a resident of the Melbourne region. She hasn’t been on any social networking sites.
ITVX is now streaming Belle Gibson: Instagram’s Worst Con Artist.