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Belle Gibson was travelling to Queensland for a funeral when she was first contacted by Melbourne newspaper, The Age. Reporters were seeking clarification. They wanted to know exactly how much of the money that Belle was making was going to charity. By 2015, The Whole Pantry had become a hugely successful app, blog and book. Belle had always publicly pledged that a sizeable chunk of the money it was making was being redistributed to charities and various worthy causes, but was that true? In this episode of Extraordinary Stories, we’ll learn how it all came crashing down for the so-called 'Wellness Warrior,' Belle Gibson, and how a woman who once provided hope for some of the nations most vulnerable people, exploited them for cash and clout.
With thanks to
Bronwyn McCahon,
Tara Brown
Tom Cowie
Marc Feldman
James D'Apice
Kylie Willey
CREDITS:
Host: Emma Gillespie
Writers: Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright
Producers: Melanie Sauer and Emma Gillespie
Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff
SOURCES:
The Woman Who Fooled The World by Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano
Fake Medicine by Brad Mckay
The Girl Who Conned Us All by Clair Weaver https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/real-life/belle-gibson-the-whole-story-10129
https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/local-news/belle-gibson-speaks-for-the-first-time-since-her-whole-pantry-controversy-13532
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Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.