Port Adelaide AFL WAG Kellie Finlayson hits out over false comparisons to cancer con woman Belle Gibson

The 29-year-old has fought her own public cancer battle and says being wrongly and unfairly likened to Belle Gibson is like a “punch in the face”. See her emotional video.

Kellie Finlayson says false and unfair comparisons to cancer conwoman Belle Gibson are like a “big punch to the face” and make her feel “physically ill”.

The courageous 29-year-old, who’s battling terminal bowel cancer, has revealed she is constantly referred to as Gibson, a Melbourne woman who built a wellness empire on the false claim that she had cured her terminal cancer through alternative medicine.

Finlayson, the wife of Port Adelaide AFL player Jeremy, said the comparisons – which surfaced because she sought alternative therapies – were “offensive” in a video posted on Instagram.

Kellie Finlayson. Picture: TikTok / kelliefinlayson_

Kellie Finlayson. Picture: Jodi Lee Foundation

“I have this depth of hate towards her and I don’t hate anyone,” she said.

“But the way she is irks me and I know she irks so many others.... I’ve been referred to as this woman’s name countless times, several times a week even.

“It’s a big punch to the face. It’s kicking me while I’m down.”

Finlayson’s post follows the release of Netflix’s latest drama series, Apple Cider Vinegar, which explores how Gibson built a successful online following based on falsified claims of curing her own terminal brain cancer through alternative diets and natural therapies.

Hollywood star Kaitlyn Dever plays Gibson in the series, which also takes in wider issues around the rise of the wellness craze.

“Having these docos and this Netflix series come out about all the of the hurt she caused, all of the lies she told... and then being referred to her as her name simply because I’ve sought alternate therapies, or I look really well.... but being called this woman’s name is offensive – it’s abusive almost,” Finlayson said.

“Having gone through the things that she described... or pretended to have gone through and the way she manipulated people around her to empathise and to give her so much... it makes me physically ill.”

Mother-of-one Finlayson revealed her stage-four bowel cancer in 2021 and has continued to speak courageously and publicly about her battle.

Kellie and Jeremy Finlayson with their daughter Sophia, 3. Picture Mark Brake

She first shared her cancer diagnosis three months after giving birth to her and her husband’s daughter, Sophia.

Finlayson recently announced she would be releasing a new book, ‘There Must Be More’, which is set for publication in late April.

“I’m so incredibly proud to share this piece of me with the world, and still so confused everyday as to why my story is worthy of being literally printed in a book,” the post read.

“Impostor syndrome is screaming, but deep down, I know this is bigger than me.

“This is for those who have faced devastation, for those who feel alone, for those who no longer have a voice to share their story. For those who are stuck for words, for those who feel helpless.

“I feel like I’ve lived a dozen lives, and somehow, beyond motherhood, becoming an author might just be the most surreal one yet.

“This is hope. This is me – the rawest version of me.”