Belle Gibson turns on critics over cancer claims

SOCIAL media entrepreneur Belle Gibson has attacked her critics and suggests she faces being “bullied to my death”.

BELLE Gibson, the social media entrepreneur accused of using false claims that she is dying of cancer to promote her app, yesterday attacked her critics and suggested she faced being “bullied to my death”.

The 23-year-old issued a sarcastic message on Facebook encouraging her friends to speak to the media because “it says more about you, and your priorities, than me or the story you’ll get paid to tell”.

But she offered no evidence to support her increasingly shaky claims that she has survived multiple life-threatening cancers over the past five years without any medical treatment.

Despite her Facebook appearance, Gibson’s book publisher, Penguin, said it had been unable to contact her since The Australian revealed on Tuesday that she admitted some of her cancer claims were doubtful. Penguin said it was “considering” its commercial relationship with her.

In contrast, the computer giant Apple — which helped launch Gibson’s career when it got behind her successful mobile app, The Whole Pantry, in 2013 — said it felt no obligation to review its relationship, or its support for her forthcoming Apple Watch app. A spokesman said the company’s primary interest was whether Gibson’s iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch apps worked properly. “Our role is to make sure the app does what it says it does,” she said.

Asked whether Apple was concerned that Gibson may have promoted the app with false claims of having survived multiple cancers through “natural” healing, she replied: “That’s not something we will be responding to.”

Gibson launched The Whole Pantry as a “lifestyle and wellness” app in 2013 after claiming in her blog to have survived an aggressive malignant brain tumour using only natural foods and alternative therapies. She has since claimed to be suffering cancers in her liver, spleen, uterus and blood.

The Whole Pantry apps do not mention her claims, but Gibson has repeated them while promoting the apps and has also stated that significant profits are going to charity. Consumer Affairs Victoria is investigating whether Gibson’s company failed to pass on to charities the proceeds of fundraising events.