Disgraced fake wellness guru Belle Gibson’s cancer con saga to be aired on TV screens
The “Belle Gibson story” was the topic of choice at Flemington during Cup Week, with it understood the production will start being filmed in Melbourne this year.
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Disgraced fake wellness guru Belle Gibson’s notorious cancer con saga is being made into a drama by a streaming giant.
It is believed Netflix is backing a project inspired by the mind-boggling scam played out by Melbourne resident Gibson between 2013 – 2015.
The production is set to film in Melbourne from November to February, although details of the project are scant.
No announcement has been made about the project however the “Belle Gibson story” was being freely discussed by industry types enjoying the racing action at Flemington during Cup Week.
It is unclear if the story will be told as a film or multi-part series.
A publicity representative for Netflix said “We have nothing to confirm at the moment” when asked about the project.
Con artists and social media/online scammers are fertile ground for production companies and people are keen to watch.
The Gibson story of faking cancer and building a business off the methods and practices she claimed helped her control her disease has been a subject of several documentaries including the BBC’s Bad Influencer in 2021 and The Search for Instagram’s Worst Con Artist, which aired in the UK in early November.
Then there is Gibson’s startling interview with 60 Minutes in 2015 where she admitted her story that had made her the pin up of the wellness industry was fiction.
Gibson, in 2013, claimed she had multiple cancers, including brain cancer, and was successfully managing them through diet, exercise, natural medicine and natural therapies.
She launched a hugely successful App, landed a book deal and published a cookbook through which she spouted her beliefs, recipes, and what she claimed was her life story.
But when she failed to come good on a promised charitable donation people started to look into her claims and her story fell apart.
In 2015, in an interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly, Gibson admitted to having made up her cancer claims.
Consumer Affairs Victoria went after her and was ordered in 2017 by the Federal Court of Australia to pay $410,000.
In 2020 she resurfaced saying she had been adopted by the Ethiopian community in Melbourne after volunteering for four years.
A community leader quickly shut down her claims.
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