If you’re a fan of true crime that’s not-so-gruesome but oh-so-juicy then you’re in luck because Netflix has adapted one of the biggest scandals of the 2010s for the screen!
The streamer has finally released its hotly-anticipated series, Apple Cider Vinegar which is based on a story from our own shores.
Described in Netflix’s official summary as a “true-ish story based on a lie,” the show is a fictionalised take on the tale of Belle Gibson, the Australian mum who launched a wellness empire by pretending she had brain cancer, which she claimed she was curing with an all-natural lifestyle.
The show features Booksmart’s Kaitlyn Dever as Belle, as well as Australia’s own Aisha Dee and Alycia Debnam-Carey in lead roles—and if you haven’t already binged it, you best get started.
In the mean time, scroll on for everything you need to know about the show—and the true story it’s sort-of based on.
all about the show...
What Is Apple Cider Vinegar About?
The six-part series is set in the early days of Instagram and follows two young women “who set out to cure their life-threatening illnesses through health and wellness, influencing their global online communities along the way,” per Netflix.
The catch? It’s not all true.
The streamer says the series “serves as a cultural interrogation of the times, exploring the birth of Instagram; the allure and rise of wellness culture; peak girl boss start-up culture; and the age of innocence on social media with very few checks and balances in place.”
Apple Cider Vinegar Cast
The cast of Apple Cider Vinegar is led by Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Belle. You might recognise her from hit show Booksmart and despite her totally convincing Aussie accent, Kaitlyn is not Australian—she actually hails from the U.S state of Arizona.
She is joined by some big local names, including The 100′s Alycia Debnam-Carey, who plays the fictional Milla Blake, another young woman who builds an Instagram platform promoting the power of food to fight cancer.
The Bold Type actress Aisha Dee plays Milla’s close friend Chanelle, who meets Belle at an event and begins working with her on her business.
Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Mark Coles Smith, Ashley Zukerman, Susie Porter, Matt Nable, Chai Hansen, Phoenix Raei, Richard Davies, Essie Davis, Kieran Darcy-Smith and Catherine McClements are also in the show.
Where to Watch Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar is currently available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
and the story...
Is Apple Cider Vinegar a True Story?
Apple Cider Vinegar isn’t strictly a true tale. Rather, it is a fictionalised portrayal of a real-life story.
“This is a true-ish story based on a lie, about the rise and fall of a wellness empire; the culture that built it up and the people who tore it down,” Netflix’s official summary explains.
The series is inspired by the book The Woman Who Fooled the World, which was written by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, and charted the real-life Belle Gibson’s life and the rise and fall of her wellness empire.
Who Is Belle Gibson?
Apple Cider Vinegar’s main character is a woman by the name of Belle Gibson, who is based on a real person.
In the early 2010s, Belle found herself with a mammoth Instagram following, which was built on fabricated claims she cured herself of terminal brain cancer via a healthy lifestyle, alternative therapies and various wellness techniques.
She used this following and purported knowledge to launch an app, The Whole Pantry in 2013. It went on to be voted voted Apple’s Best Food and Drink App of the year and Belle was profiled by many local and global media outlets.
In 2014—after claiming her cancer had spread to her blood, spleen, uterus and liver—Belle launched a cookbook. However, things started to unravel that year after reports emerged that she had failed to donate the cookbook’s profits to charity, as she had promised.
Journalists from The Age and The Australian newspapers began digging and after discovering a few questionable details, Belle ended up admitting that she had never really had cancer.
Per The Guardian, she was fined $410,000 in 2017 for misleading and deceptive conduct.
Where Is Belle Gibson Now?
The real-life Belle Gibson keeps out of the limelight for the most part. However, recent media reports place her as living in Melbourne, with a 2020 ABC News report saying Belle had been ‘adopted’ by Ethiopia’s Oromo community in the city.
Whether or not the show will inadvertently turn her into a controversial celebrity—a la Anna Delvey—remains to be seen.
Watch here for updates.
