Netflix releases TV series on fraudster pretending to have cancer

The miniseries Apple Cider Vinegar premiered on the Netflix streaming platform. It was based on the true story of Belle Gibson, the fraudster who earned millions by pretending to have cancer.

The story of the scandalous blogger was told to the BBC.

Apple Cider Vinegar TV series — plot and prototype of the main heroine

The TV series told the story of Australian blogger Belle, who in 2013 announced on her social media that she had overcome cancer through a healthy lifestyle.  The girl claimed that doctors had diagnosed her with brain cancer and refused traditional treatment, choosing the "natural way".

Gibson even created a mobile app that was downloaded by more than 200,000 users, wrote the book The Whole Pantry about healthy eating and natural treatments, and traveled the world giving motivational lectures.

In 2014, journalists began to suspect that Belle was lying about her medical history and launched an investigation. At that time, the blogger stated that cancer had spread to her blood, spleen, uterus, and liver.

In 2015, she admitted to fraud in an interview with Women’s Weekly, explaining that she often confuses fantasy with reality. It was this effect that became the basis for the Apple Cider Vinegar TV series. The screenwriter Samantha Strauss has constructed the story in such a way that the audience is constantly moving between the past and the present, mixing fact and fiction. This adds depth to the story, as the main heroine is a pathological liar.

The series shows not only Gibson but also the people who suffered from her manipulations. One of the key heroines is Mila Blake, a journalist who is battling cancer and becomes a role model for Belle. The real-life prototype of this heroine was Jessica Ainscough, who popularised alternative treatments and eventually died of cancer. Another heroine, Lucy, represents people who, under Gibson’s influence, refused conventional medicine.

Interestingly, the TV series got its name from one of the blogger’s most absurd statements — she convinced her followers that she had cured herself of tapeworms by drinking cider vinegar.

The Apple Cider Vinegar TV series not only tells the story of one fraudster but also reminds us that before believing the "miraculous" advice of influencers, we should critically evaluate the information. After all, real health is based on facts, not on pretty Instagram stories.

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