Belle Gibson received an outpouring of love and sympathy when she told the world she had brain cancer. But the affection eventually turned to anger, when she was exposed as a heartless liar.
The so-called social influencer is the subject of ITV‘s two-part documentary Instagram’s Worst Con Artist (Thursday, April 25, 2024). The series examines how Belle went from being a symbol of hope, to an object of horror when her shocking deception was subsequently discovered.
So why did 21-year-old (now 32) Australian Belle Gibson dupe millions of followers by claiming she had terminal cancer? Not only that, she claimed to have “cured” the cancer through wellness and healthy eating.
Here’s everything you need to know about the pseudoscience advocate.
Instagram’s Worst Con Artist on ITV1 and ITVX
Two-part documentary Instagram’s Worst Con Artist examines the rise to fame of 21-year-old social influencer Belle Gibson. Belle was a single mother, allegedly diagnosed with brain cancer who chose to give up traditional treatments to pursue a revolutionary diet as her cure.
Five years after revealing she had brain cancer – and apparently given weeks to live – Belle Gibson thanked her ‘wellness regime’ for her good health. However, after people began to suspect something wasn’t quite right, Belle’s sickening scam was revealed. She had lied about her diagnosis, reaped the benefits, and even preyed on other cancer sufferers.
Over two episodes, her former friends, journalists, and cancer survivors describe how they were originally inspired by her story. However, after being sucked in by her lies, they ultimately discovered that Belle’s identity was a deception.
Who is Belle Gibson?
Belle Gibson became famous as a social influencer and wellness guru. Tasmanian-born Belle used Instagram in her attempt to become a food and health blogger.
However, she resorted to desperate measures to get noticed. Over the course of a few years, she claimed to have beaten a multitude of illnesses with the help of healthy eating, and natural remedies.
She faked having terminal brain cancer, as well as other primary and secondary cancers. She also claimed to have survived two heart attacks and a stroke.
Belle attracted a huge fan base under the now-deleted Instagram handle @healing_belle, which she launched in 2013. She described herself as a “gamechanger with brain cancer”. At first, she shared ‘healing’ recipes. However, she soon started to profit from her story, launching an app called The Whole Pantry.
Her miraculous story brought her fame and money, with a successful app with Apple, a book deal with Penguin, and countless television appearances.
She was paid a substantial amount for the book deal. The blurb on the book reads: “Belle Gibson is an inspirational young mother who encourages us to nourish ourselves in a more natural and sustainable way. After being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, Belle found herself unsupported by conventional medicine.
“She began a journey of self-education to treat herself through nutrition. Her award-winning app, The Whole Pantry, is a phenomenal resource of recipes, wellness guides and personal support, and has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to change their diet and lifestyle.”
Did Belle Gibson have cancer? What was wrong with her?
Belle claimed she’d suffered multiple strokes, and undergone three heart surgeries, during which she “died twice on the operating table”. She also claimed she had an inoperable brain tumour and just six months to live.
She announced the news in a post, saying: “Five years ago today, I was sitting in front of a man who was about to tell me I was dying from malignant brain cancer with six months to live.”
Later, she told her followers she had been “diagnosed with a third and fourth cancer”. She added: “One is secondary, and the other is primary. I have cancer in my blood, spleen, brain, uterus, and liver. I am hurting.”
In fact, Belle was totally healthy – physically anyway. She never had cancer. The only person she was hurting was her followers, and other cancer sufferers. Belle subsequently went on to boldly claim natural remedies were curing her over traditional medications. She pledged profits from her book to cancer charities – another lie. She fraudulent claimed she had donated $300,000 of income to charities.
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