Father in hit Netflix show slams ‘lies’

A dad depicted in the Netflix show based on notorious scammer Belle Gibson has slammed producers for “tarnishing” his daughter’s legacy.

A Queensland father has slammed Netflix for “inaccurately” portraying his late daughter in the hit Netflix show Apple Cider Vinegar, a series centred around Australian wellness scammer Belle Gibson.

Col ­Ainscough’s daughter Jess Ainscough died from cancer in 2015 after using conventional and alternative therapies to treat her epithelioid sarcoma.

Alycia Debnam-Carey as Milla and Matt Nable as Joe in Apple Cider Vinegar. Picture: Netflix

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Mr ­Ainscough said Ms Gibson attempted to “insert” herself into Ms Ainscough’s story by coming to her funeral, however, the pair were never friends.

In the Netflix show, a character based on Ms Ainscough is depicted as Ms Gibson’s close friend.

Kaitlyn Dever as she appears in the Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar based partly on the story of Belle Gibson. PIC: Ben King / Netflix

Mr Ainscough is also depicted in the show as an unsupportive husband and father.

“Jess and Belle Gibson were never friends,” Mr ­Ainscough said.

“Continually linking Jess’s name to Belle is appalling. Jess doesn’t deserve her legacy to be tarnished by this.”

Mr ­Ainscough said he had no interest in watching the show but had been told about how his family had been portrayed.

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Netflix described the series as a “true-ish story based on a lie”.

Back in the early 2010s, Ms Gibson built a successful online following based on falsified claims of curing her own terminal brain cancer through alternative diets and natural therapies.

“They have chosen to create a dramatised story in which Jess and my family are inaccurately portrayed,” Mr Ainscough said.

Mr Ainscough told the masthead while his daughter used alternative therapies she only did so alongside conventional therapies after being given a dire diagnosis in 2008. His wife Sharyn – who is also depicted in the show – was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and died in 2013.

Sharyn decided not to undergo conventional treatment due to her late diagnosis.

The real Belle Gibson leaves the Federal Court in Melbourne in 2019. Picture: David Crosling

Belle Gibson yet to pay fine

Ms Gibson is still being chased by Consumer Affairs Victoria for the $410,000 she was ordered to pay in 2017.

She was found by the courts to have breached consumer laws, however, did not attract criminal charges.

She was ordered to pay $410,000 in fines and $30,000 in legal costs by the federal court in 2017 for misleading and deceptive conduct.

However, eight years on and the matter still has not been resolved.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan on Thursday said she was “disappointed”.

“Behind the TV stories, behind the dramatisation are real people who have been had their lives devastated by the actions of this individual,” Ms Allan said in a press conference.

“Consumer Affairs Victoria is continuing to pursue this, particularly in the context of the orders that have been made by the court.

Originally published as Father in hit Netflix show slams ‘lies’