Belle Gibson spent years lying about her health. From those early skater chatroom claims that she had died on the operating table during heart surgery, to a terminal brain cancer diagnosis, and finally, revelations that cancer had spread through her entire body. She had built a business out of peddling her strategy for treating that cancer; with food. She said it was curing her, and could (for a small fee) cure you, too. But in March 2015, everything came undone, and it wasn't only Belle's followers who wanted answers. The courts did too. Welcome to the final instalment of Extraordinary Stories: Belle Gibson.
THE END BITS:
With thanks to Tara Brown, Tom Cowie, Dr Marc Feldman, James D'Apice, Kylie Willey and 60 Minutes.
SOURCES:
Confronting Belle Gibson
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/local-news/belle-gibson-speaks-for-the-first-time-since-her-whole-pantry-controversy-13532
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/13/behind-belle-gibsons-cancer-con-everything-about-this-story-is-extreme
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/munchausen-syndrome-why-bloggers-cancer-fraud-belle-gibson-fake-sickness-online-10215185.html
GET IN TOUCH:
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CREDITS:
Host: Emma Gillespie
Writers: Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright
Producer: Emma Gillespie
Guest bookings: Melanie Sauer
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff
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.