Apple Cider Vinegar has made a splash on Netflix since its big debut, and fans are desperate to know more about the shocking real-life scammer. Kaitlyn Dever delivers an outstanding performance in the shocking true tale of Belle Gibson, a social media fraudster who cruelly tricked her followers into believing she was battling terminal brain cancer to promote her unfounded and dangerous wellness remedies and recipes.
In the infancy of social media, as Instagram was just beginning to gain traction, Belle exploited the trust of her vast online audience. The real Annabelle Natalie Gibson, 33, is a convicted con artist from Australia who developed The Whole Pantry mobile app and its accompanying cookbook. She falsely professed to have been diagnosed with various cancers, including a malignant brain cancer for which she was given weeks to live. She claimed that she was effectively managing these through diet, natural medicine, and alternative therapies.
Belle, who was born in Tasmania, also claimed to have donated a significant portion of her company's profits to charities, a statement that turned out to be false. It was only in 2015 when she was accused of making fraudulent claims about her charitable donations that the truth about her cancer, personal life, and even her age came to light. Her lavish lifestyle was funded by the money she falsely claimed had been given to charity. As the truth unfolded and her social media followers began to distance themselves, she confessed in an April 2015 interview that her cancer diagnosis was a lie.
Now, as the mini-series tops Netflix charts globally, viewers are left wondering: what became of Belle after she disappeared from public view? The aftermath of her web of deceit is just as dramatic as the main narrative. From her new identity to her split with her long-time partner Clive, and the details of her final scam - here's what Apple Cider Vinegar didn't reveal... In Apple Cider Vinegar, a crisis management expert (portrayed by Phoenix Raei) advises Belle that her reputation has been so tarnished by her deceit that the best course of action is to assume a completely new identity.
Interestingly, she did just that in reality - at least for a while. After being unmasked as a cancer fraudster, she maintained a low profile for several years before re-emerging in January 2020 as an African activist. Belle had affiliated herself with a group representing Ethiopia's Oromo people, changed her name, adopted a headscarf, familiarised herself with African politics, and even began speaking broken English.
Introducing herself as 'Sabontu', she referred to the East African country as 'home' and worryingly tried to raise funds for the ethnic group's homeland. It remains unclear whether Gibson profited from any fundraising efforts. Ethiopian community sources disclosed at the time that Gibson had attended BBQs, weddings, and community meetings to endear herself to the Oromo community. However, the president of a prominent Oromo diaspora group in Victoria later confirmed that Gibson was not a registered volunteer. "We hadn't been aware of this woman and we do not know her backstory," president Tarekegn Chimdi told Daily Mail Australia. He added that community members had always assumed she was accompanying a friend. "She is not a community member and she's also not working with the community... She has to stop [telling people she is].".
Despite being ostracised from the group, Belle was spotted still wearing the traditional clothes of the Ethiopian community a year later, in 2021. One of the most perplexing figures in the Belle Gibson story is her partner, Clive Rothwell, who is portrayed by Ashley Zukerman in Apple Cider Vinegar. Throughout the entire cancer scam, Clive supported Belle by helping raise her son from a previous relationship, Oliver, and providing financial assistance. He has not been implicated in her fraudulent activities, and there is no suggestion of his involvement.
Despite Belle claiming she knows little about Clive or his profession (he is reportedly an IT consultant), one of her friends has described him as her "partner." Clive is said to have covered most of the rent for the home they shared and even paid for a month-long trip to Africa in 2019 for Belle and her son. However, shortly after Netflix announced Apple Cider Vinegar and actress Kaitlyn arrived in Australia to begin filming, Clive had clearly had enough. It seems the man who had been referred to as everything from "boyfriend" to "housemate" to "benefactor" has moved on.
According to the Mail Online, Clive has since moved into a two-bedroom apartment across town in Melbourne, and in November 2023, he was spotted with another woman. Clive reportedly declined to comment when asked if the woman was his new partner. In the aftermath of her cancer fraud, the Federal Court of Australia took action against Belle. In 2017, following a lengthy and dramatic trial, Belle was found guilty of misleading the public into believing that natural remedies could cure terminal cancer.
