The Netflix series tells the dramatic story of the rise and fall of Belle Gibson, a wellness influencer who faked having terminal cancer.

Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix tells the story of Instagram scammer, Belle Gibson. Right from the outset it’s honest that the show is a depiction of her lies. So given it’s a misty subject as it is, you’re probably wondering which parts of it are real and which aren’t.

Another central plot point of Apple Cider Vinegar revolves around fictional wellness influencer Milla Blake, who, unlike Gibson, really does have cancer. Like Gibson, however, she promotes natural therapies instead of modern treatment and turns to a type of therapy called Hersch to heal herself.

In Apple Cider Vinegar, Hek is the PR crisis manager Belle hires after her fraud is exposed. In real life, Belle Gibson was helped by crisis manager Alex Twomey (now known as Titus O'Reily), although he worked pro bono — and doesn't appear to have anything else in common with the fictional character Hek.

In one case, black salve corroded a man’s whole nose. It had to be amputated. In 2018, an Australian woman called Helen Lawson was told by an unqualified healer that covering her abdomen with black salve would somehow cure her ovarian cancer. She developed terrible injuries and then died.

While social media’s relationship with the wellness industry is commonplace at this point, Apple Cider Vinegar situates itself in the early 2010s, at a time where influencers were just beginning to realize the type of career heights they could attain just by telling heightened versions of their own stories online.

The true story-based Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar is a reminder: healthcare or wellness industry scammers leave very real victims in their wake.

I just watched the new Netflix series, Apple Cider Vinegar, which tells the story of Belle Gibson, an Australian woman who launched a wellness business based largely on the false claim that she had s

Wellness influencer Belle Gibson claimed for years that she had cured her brain cancer through nutrition and holistic medicine, only to have her hoax exposed.

Netflix’s “Apple Cider Vinegar” is based on the true story of two less-than-honest wellness influencers, and the Hirsch Institute is based on a real place and course of treatment