5 moments from Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar that happened in real life

Apple Cider Vinegar is an Australian crime drama series launched on Netflix, based on the book The Woman Who Fooled The World by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano. The limited series is about Belle Gibson, who pretends to have cancer and promote alternative medicine. It stars Kaitlyn Dever as Belle, along with Alycia Debnam-Carey, Aisha Dee, and more.

The series has been marketed as a partly-true story, and while the core concept is rooted in reality, the story has been fictionalized. The Netflix series focuses on Belle's rise to social-media fame.

For viewers who have recently watched Apple Cider Vinegar, following is a list of events that have happened in real life and serve as a direct inspiration for the series.

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Fake cancer diagnosis, rapid rise to fame, and three more moments in Apple Cider Vinegar that are true

1) Fake cancer diagnosis

Belle's empire was built on fake information. (Image via Netflix)

Belle Gibson was an Australian influencer who joined Instagram when the app was still in its early days. She was famous for posting natural remedies she used as a terminal brain cancer patient. The posts in her feed were staunchly against chemotherapy and radiation, and instead suggested organic recipes. The nature of these posts were positive and looked visually pleasing.

As is shown in Apple Cider Vinegar, this was fake information that she gave her audience through her social media. After Beau and Nick investigated her story, they found out that she lied about her diagnosis, and that she did not have cancer.

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2) Pledges to charity

A still from the show, with Belle working on her app which gained massive popularity. (Image via Netflix)

According to Donnelly and Toscano's investigations, Belle Gibson had pledged money to five charities. In March 2015, investigations from Fairfax Media found that, out of the claimed $300,000, only $7000 were donated in total to three charities. This was the tip of the iceberg which led to further revelations about her diagnosis being a lie.

Moreover, her app The Whole Pantry would have advertisements claiming that she had made these false donations using the revenue generated from it. The same investigation also concluded that she claimed to be fundraising for treatment of a child afflicted with brain cancer, as is shown in Apple Cider Vinegar.

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3) Rapid rise to fame

A still from the show, when Belle wins an award. (Image via Netflix)

After the launch of Belle's app The Whole Pantry in 2013, it won Apple's Best Food and Drink App award for that year. Soon after, in 2015, it was part of the consortium of pre-installed apps on Apple devices. This was also around the time when she signed a deal with Lantern Books to publish a cookbook with her recipes.

Elle estimated a revenue of $1 million from the app, as it received 200,000 downloads in the first month. This was one of the true moments shown in the Apple Cider Vinegar.

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4) New identity

A still from the show. (Image via Netflix)

In 2020, Belle was reported to have changed her name to Sabontu, and residing in Melbourne. According to Glamour, she claimed to be adopted by the Ethiopian community, and also learned to speak the Oromo language. The Weekend Australian reported that the president of the Oromo community rejected Belle's claims of being part of their community.

Moreover, he also went on to say that he was not aware who she was, and that they did not know her backstory. This is another event in Apple Cider Vinegar, which has been inspired by true events.

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5) Legal effect on Belle Gibson

Belle in the interview where she admits to lying (Image via Netflix)

In April 2015, Belle admitted in an interview that her claims about being terminally ill with cancer are untrue, following which she blamed her deceit on her upbringing. According to The Guardian, Belle has been fined $410,000 AUD by the Federal Court of Australia, which she has not paid as of 2025. Even her publisher Penguin Australia paid a penalty amounting $30,000 for the app built on a fake premise.

Her house was subject to raiding, as reported by The New Daily in 2020, and her assets seized as she claimed bankruptcy despite her expenses. This moment from Apple Cider Vinegar was inspired by real life instances.

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Apart from these events, some more critical instances inspired by real life in Apple Cider Vinegar are the effects on her followers and collaborators.