Before launching a hit wellness app, blogger Belle Gibson told her Instagram followers she’d been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Initially given only four months to live, Gibson miraculously survived for years — due in large part to her healthy diet and lifestyle. As her popularity (and net worth) soared, she became an overnight success and a hero to many living with cancer. Except every part of Gibson’s story was based on lies. The docuseries The Search for Instagram’s Worst Con Artist investigates Gibson’s many claims, as well as her rise and fall from the spotlight, all of which inspired the series Apple Cider Vinegar starring Kaitlyn Dever.
The subjects interviewed for the two-part docuseries include Gibson’s brother, Nick Gibson; Gibson’s stepdad, Andrew Dal-Bello; journalists Richard Guilliatt and Clair Weaver, who interviewed Gibson; Royal Melbourne Hospital director of neurosurgery Kate Drummond; Gibson’s former friends Chanelle McAuliffe, Rebecca Jones, Shelby Nagy, and Anthony de Sylva; news editor Bryce Corbett; and psychologist Sandy Rea.
The Search for Instagram’s Worst Con Artist delves into the life and lies of blogger Gibson. The wellness influencer, who created a popular app called The Whole Pantry and wrote a cookbook of the same name, claimed she was living with terminal brain cancer — but, through healthy lifestyle choices, she’d kept the malignant tumor at bay. Gibson’s story inspired the series Apple Cider Vinegar.
No, it’s not based on a book. Per The Search for Instagram’s Worst Con Artist, some of the first revelations about Gibson’s false cancer claims were revealed by journalist Richard Guilliatt in The Australian and journalist Clair Weaver in The Australian Women’s Weekly.
Yes, it’s based on the true story of app creator, blogger, and Instagram influencer Gibson, who misled her followers and investors about having Stage 4 brain cancer.
The docuseries interviews subjects in the Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, and discusses Gibson’s teenage years in Perth.
