Netflix’s miniseries Apple Cider Vinegar is the latest show to turn real-life events into fictionalized drama. It joins other series like Inventing Anna and Baby Reindeer, which also show real stories with creative storytelling.
Each episode of Apple Cider Vinegar starts with a disclaimer stating that it is inspired by true events but includes fictionalized characters and situations.
At the heart of the series is the unbelievable but real story of Australian wellness influencer Belle Gibson. She became famous on social media by claiming she had survived cancer through natural treatments, even though this was not true.
The Netflix miniseries closely follows the key events of Gibson’s rise to fame and her eventual exposure. However, the show includes many fictionalized details since its creator, Samantha Strauss, never met Gibson in person (according to USA Today).
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How Much of “Apple Cider Vinegar” Is True?
Apple Cider Vinegar is based on the book The Woman Who Fooled the World by journalists Nick Toscano and Beau Donelly. They were the ones who uncovered Gibson’s fraud.
In the series, Kaitlyn Dever plays the role of Gibson, who was born in Tasmania, Australia. According to The Independent, Gibson even lied about her age, which the Netflix show also includes.
The show accurately portrays Gibson’s troubled relationship with her mother. From a young age, Gibson had a habit of making up stories when she needed to escape difficult situations. As early as 2005, she posted false medical claims on internet forums.
In Apple Cider Vinegar, the character Milla Blake, played by Alycia Debnam-Carey, finds one of Gibson’s posts on a skateboarding forum. This detail reflects Gibson’s real-life history of spreading fake medical claims online.
The show also accurately depicts Gibson’s personal life, including her short relationship with Nathan Corbett, the father of her first child, and her later long-term relationship with Clive, a man nearly 20 years older than her (played by Ashley Zukerman).
Gibson created an Instagram account in 2013 under the name “Healing Belle.” She claimed to be a terminal brain cancer patient who had survived by using natural remedies. Her Instagram account quickly gained attention, with people drawn to her aesthetic photos and wellness tips.
The Independent reports that the show gives Gibson 2 million followers, but in reality, she had around 200,000 in 2013. This change may have been made to reflect how social media standards have evolved.
The Rise of “The Whole Pantry”
In Apple Cider Vinegar, Gibson starts a wellness app called The Whole Pantry, which contains vegan recipes and lifestyle tips. The app became popular and reached the top of Apple’s “best food and drink” apps.
Gibson then signed a book deal with publisher Penguin. Her book, also called The Whole Pantry, was released in 2014 and sold 16,000 copies within the first year. This success turned Gibson into a major figure in the wellness industry.
Who Is Milla Blake in “Apple Cider Vinegar”?
In the show, Gibson has a tense relationship with Milla Blake, another cancer patient who follows a therapy based on coffee enemas and fresh juices. At first, Gibson admires Milla, but she later starts copying her story to build her own brand.
Milla Blake is based on a real person named Jess Ainscough, an Australian woman who blogged about using alternative treatments for cancer. However, unlike the show, Ainscough and Gibson only met once and had limited online interactions.
Ainscough was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer after noticing lumps in her arm (The Independent). She gained a following on social media and also wrote a book. Like in the show, both Ainscough and her mother followed alternative treatments but later passed away from cancer. Ainscough died at the age of 29 in 2015.
The Investigation That Exposed Gibson’s Lies
Gibson’s downfall began when journalists Nick Toscano and Beau Donelly from The Age started investigating her claims. They received a tip from Chanelle, one of Gibson’s former friends, played by Aisha Dee in the series.
In the show, Chanelle meets Gibson through Milla Blake. In reality, Chanelle was an entrepreneur who became suspicious of Gibson’s cancer story. She and another friend, Jarrod, confronted Gibson about her claims in 2014. When Gibson refused to admit the truth, Chanelle took her concerns to the media.
The journalists faced a challenge because they could not access Gibson’s medical records without evidence. Instead, they focused on her false claims about charity donations.
The Funeral Scene Really Happened
One of the most emotional scenes in Apple Cider Vinegar takes place at a funeral. The show depicts Gibson attending the funeral of a young cancer patient’s family. She dramatically expresses her grief but soon receives a list of questions from journalists about her medical history and charity donations.
This moment is based on real events. Gibson had promised to donate money from her earnings to charities but never made the donations. She even raised funds in the name of a young cancer patient named Joshua Schwarz, who was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of five (USA Today).
After speaking with Gibson’s close friends and family, reporters confirmed that her cancer story was completely false. Once the truth about her fake donations was revealed, her entire story collapsed. She could not provide any proof that she had ever been diagnosed with cancer.
Gibson later tried to create evidence to support her lies. For example, she staged a seizure at her son’s birthday party. Although this incident actually happened, no medical records confirm the legitimacy of the seizure. Showrunner Strauss chose not to label Gibson with any mental illness in the show because no official diagnosis was ever made (Time).
What Happened to Belle Gibson?
After the investigative story was published, Apple and Penguin both cut ties with Gibson. She later gave a video interview where she claimed a doctor had misdiagnosed her using German technology. In the show, this translates into a scene where she takes her son to a doctor and undergoes an examination.
In 2017, Gibson was fined 410,000 Australian dollars by the Federal Court of Australia, but she never paid the fine. Authorities later raided her home to search for valuable items to sell in order to recover the money. Despite deceiving thousands of people and possibly harming real cancer patients, Gibson never served jail time.
A Critical Look at Social Media Influence
Apple Cider Vinegar takes a creative approach to exposing influencers who spread misinformation for personal gain. By adding the character Lucy, played by Tilda Cobham-Hervey, the show highlights different perspectives, including those who suffer because of fraudulent wellness claims.
The series also criticizes others who enabled Gibson, such as the editor of her cookbook (played by Catherine McClements), who failed to verify her claims before promoting them.
Much like other Netflix releases, Apple Cider Vinegar demonstrates the power of social media and how easily false stories can spread. In an age where truth and perception often blur online, the show serves as a reminder to question what we see and believe.
All episodes of Apple Cider Vinegar are now available to stream on Netflix.
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