Belle Gibson, cancer con artist, tells of fake cancer struggles on video
A NEVER before seen video featuring Belle Gibson has been used in court to expose her as a cancer con, the disturbing footage showing her talk about her struggles.
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A NEVER-before-seen video recording of Belle Gibson has been used in court to expose her as a cancer con.
The disturbing footage shows her talking of her apparent struggles living with multiple cancer diagnoses and her quest to heal herself naturally.
Consumer Affairs has taken Gibson to the Federal Court, arguing that she engaged in false, misleading and unconscionable conduct.
In the video, asked if she feels she is dying, Gibson replies “yeah” and that she is “fine with that”.
“It’s important to be honest about these things,” she says.
The recording was part of a media training session with Penguin to prepare her for promoting her The Whole Pantry cookbook in October 2014.
On it, she speaks of donating to nine charities. Asked if she can get them to attest to her claims, she says they are in Indonesia and Cambodia and “don’t speak English”.
Reading the transcripts, Justice Debbie Mortimer remarked: “She’s certainly not winding back the story. It’s quite the opposite.”
Catherine Button, appearing for Consumer Affairs, told the court no evidence had been found to suggest Gibson had ever had a terminal illness, and the social media entrepreneur had “no reasonable basis for believing she had cancer”.
“The claims she made were clearly false,” Ms Button said.
The video, dozens of social media posts, and an interview with 60 Minutes form the main evidence in the case.
Gibson, 24, was believed to be in hiding at her Northcote home, as court proceedings began in the city.
It comes after the Herald Sun revealed she was living the good life since her web of lies unfolded in March last year, spending her days flitting between shops, cafes and going to the gym.
According to court documents, in written answers to questions in April this year Gibson said she believed she had cancer after being diagnosed in June 2009, and that she had taken oral chemotherapy provided by the diagnosing doctor.
But she did not know where he was now.
She said she was cleared of cancer in November 2014 after seeking a further opinion.
Asked why she had not advised Apple and Penguin and her thousands of online followers of this, she said she had been “in shock and denial”.
“Ms Gibson has been working with a psychologist to understand this time,” said her lawyer, Andrew Croxford.
Gibson faces a fine of up to $1.1 million.
Justice Mortimer reserved her decision.