Dive into the bizarre world of Belle Gibson, the Australian conwoman who fabricated a cancer journey, deceived thousands, and vanished from the public eye. Uncover the shocking truth behind her wellness empire and what she's been doing since her infamous "60 Minutes" interview.
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00:00Australia's disgraced conwoman Belle Gibson. She schemed, she lied, and then she vanished.
00:06Belle, you've scammed the people of Australia. Don't you have anything to say?
00:10Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're uncovering the lesser-known details of Belle's life,
00:15post 60 Minutes interview. In the fictionalized Netflix adaptation Apple Cider Vinegar,
00:21Belle decides to simply move on with her family before the credits roll.
00:25What do you think about a reset?
00:27But that's not how things actually went down. Just when you thought the case couldn't get
00:32any stranger, a series of bizarre developments have marked the scandalous saga unfinished.
00:37So even though she's dodged cameras and interviews as of late,
00:41here's everything we know about Belle Gibson today.
00:44Don't you think it's about time that people got some answers?
00:48In 2018, Belle Gibson sat down with 60 Minutes to face a barrage of questions about her deceitful
00:54wellness empire. Journalists had just uncovered that she failed to deliver thousands of dollars
00:59raised for charities. Even worse, it was discovered that she'd been lying about her
01:04terminal cancer diagnoses. Her cure-all road to recovery, which included stepping away from
01:09conventional medicine, was exposed as a dangerous poison that had absorbed into the minds of her
01:14loyal subscribers. I was dying, and I was looking for anything to help me because I'd just been let
01:20down by the medical system so badly. And I was looking at Belle Gibson on Instagram, and I was
01:25like, she looks incredible. Questions about her true age, questionable backstory, goals,
01:31and the lies she spun were at the front of everyone's minds. But when Belle finally opened
01:36her mouth, she only muddied the waters even more. Her lack of accountability and victim complex
01:42outraged the public, even visibly vexing the interviewer. Since that notorious interview,
01:47Belle has gone relatively dark.
01:49I think that's the last time that I really saw her, you know, front and center, trying to talk
01:55about what she had actually done. And it lived with me for a long time, and it probably still does.
02:00But that's not where the story ends. Journalist Tara Brown and 60 Minutes producer Cherie Gibson
02:07recently discussed the fallout of the special on the Extra Minutes podcast.
02:11She didn't come prepared to that interview. She had the motivation to set the record straight,
02:16but had no idea how she was going to do it, because the lies were too big.
02:20To understand why Belle took the hot seat, it's important to evaluate just how high the
02:24pressure cooker had been set. At the time of the interview, Belle was facing a lot of heat.
02:30In one last attempt to salvage her reputation, she created an elaborate but clearly untrue alibi.
02:36She pushed the onus of misconduct onto a doctor who didn't exist, and spoke in vague terms to
02:42avoid incriminating herself further. However, this smoke and mirrors routine was not fooling
02:47anyone now. You are appealing to an incredibly vulnerable audience. You have a responsibility
02:54to make sure your story is right. I'm not trying to get away with anything.
03:01During the interview, Tara asks to see medical records, and after the special,
03:05Belle supplies them. It turns out Belle had actually handed over the smoking gun,
03:10proof that her brain scan never revealed a tumor.
03:13She didn't have a brain tumor. She was healthy, and she knew it. She knew it at the time that she
03:19agreed to be part of the app project. She knew it before the whole pantry book was written,
03:23and she knew it before our interview.
03:25In the wake of the special, there's been a lot of chatter online about Belle's level of
03:29culpability. Some make the case that she was suffering genuine delusions,
03:33and her naivete played a role in her infractions.
03:36There was a lot of immaturity, I think. And I think she lacked support. Despite apple cider
03:42vinegar saying that she had a team and there was advisors, crisis management people,
03:47I don't really think there was.
03:48But most unwaveringly feel that she's much smarter than she lets on. While she developed
03:53her brand, The Whole Pantry, she befriended many individuals undergoing treatment for cancer.
03:58By integrating with that community, she learned about the complexity of the disease,
04:03perhaps to inform her own falsified cancer journey. Furthermore, a careful re-watch of
04:08the 60 Minutes face-off points to an explicit lack of empathy from Belle. When asked if she
04:14considered the impact of her behavior on those she conned, she blankly responded,
04:18I put them in my shoes, and I know that they're feeling the same way I feel.
04:22Had Belle been less focused on victimizing herself,
04:25she would have likely responded in a very different manner.
04:28She would have said, I put myself in their shoes, not the other way around.
04:35The massive interest in the case has devolved into paparazzi hawking Belle to satiate collective
04:40curiosity. Apart from sporadically popping up on tabloids, Belle has also surfaced in a truly
04:45unexpected place. A 2020 video depicts Belle in Ethiopian garb as she discusses her newfound
04:51placement with the Oromo people. Her name is now Sabantu, and she claims to have been adopted by
04:56their community.
04:57My heart is deeply embedded in the Oromo people. I feel blessed to be adopted by you.
05:05While discussing tumultuous local politics, she gives some rather ironic advice to the people.
05:10Defend yourselves and defend your honor, defend your identity.
05:14Despite integrating herself rather well with the group, talks of raising, quote,
05:18large amounts of money for the community led to members uncovering her sketchy background.
05:23Belle was swiftly ostracized, a sign that her fall from grace has severely tainted
05:28her penchant for shady fundraising. When it comes to the unpaid fines,
05:32they shockingly remain unpaid. In 2017, a federal judge found Belle liable for misleading and
05:38deceptive claims in regards to the unfulfilled donations. She was ordered to pay 410,000
05:44Australian dollars, and authorities are still attempting to recoup those fees.
05:49There are fines outstanding, and Consumer Affairs Victoria is pursuing this
05:53constantly and consistently and won't let up.
05:55Her home was raided in 2020 and 2021 under search and sale warrants. However,
06:00Belle has maintained that she's financially incapable of making the payments. This is a
06:05strange statement, considering how profitable her app, book sales, and business all were.
06:10In a damning twist, it's been revealed that Belle has been living quite lavishly,
06:14even enjoying a $5,000 trip to East Africa.
06:18Cancer con woman Belle Gibson has been gambling, trading on the stock market, and online shopping.
06:23Our cameras caught her returning from a month-long holiday in Africa.
06:28It begs the question, how is she getting away with this, and why does she refuse to pay up?
06:33Well, Belle isn't too intent on clarifying that.
06:36I'd just like to ask you one question. While you haven't paid the fine,
06:41while you haven't paid a cent of the fine, is it time to pay that money back, Belle?
06:47Don't put that camera off of me!
06:49It seems her former beau Clive Rothwell had been bankrolling most of her expensive excursions.
06:55But Daily Mail reports that the two split in 2023, as Clive was spotted with another woman.
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07:17At the end of Apple Cider Vinegar, Belle jets off to America.
07:21In reality, it's presumed she still resides in Melbourne.
07:24You and I both know that she didn't move to Beverly Hills. We actually interviewed her
07:27in Melbourne. She's never left.
07:28She's kept her son Oliver out of the limelight since the scandal broke,
07:32so there are no real updates on how motherhood is going for Belle.
07:35In fact, not much is known about her 2025 lifestyle at all.
07:39Do we know what she does? Do we know how she earns money?
07:42No. No.
07:43We do know that she's declined interviews and turned down a
07:46write-of-reply regarding documentaries made about her life.
07:49I mean, I have reached out to her a few times just to make sure that,
07:53you know, if she would like to respond to all of this new interest,
07:57because it really is blowing up on social media, but she's not replied once.
08:02It's unknown if Belle even watched the show. But if she did, perhaps the mass interest in
08:07the series will make her realize it's still worth properly atoning for her misdeeds.
08:12Belle's radio silence haunts many victims who are hoping for closure.
08:16What she was peddling was, for some, the difference between life and death.
08:22So if one positive can come from the entire controversy,
08:25it's a heightened awareness of how to spot a con.
08:28I think that we've become so desensitized to people claiming all sorts of nonsense online
08:33that we've lost almost some of our media literacy when it comes to questioning these things.
08:38In this age of misinformation, it's vital that we sniff out frauds like Belle before
08:43they earn a big social media platform. And a limited Netflix drama.
08:47Did you watch Apple Cider Vinegar? How much did you Google afterwards?
08:52Let us know in the comments.
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