Belle Gibson was once the shining diamond of the blogging world. An alternative health advocate who told the world the brilliant tale of how she beat cancer by eating healthy.
Belle told her mass fanbase that she had conquered a fatal brain tumour merely through diet, exercise, and the ‘power of fruits and vegetables’ despite being given just four months to live.
As a direct result of the bizarre claims – Belle wrote a bestselling cook book, The Whole Pantry, and created her own app and promised that most of the money made would go straight to charity, according to The Guardian.
But it was all a lie – a disgusting lie she’s now paying the price for.
Not only had Belle never suffered from cancer, only $10,000 (£6,224), of the $420,000 (£261,000) she pocketted from book sales, actually went to charity.
Instead of giving the money to charity like she promised – Belle lived a life of sheer grandeur. Renting an upmarket house, buying a luxury car, office space, undergoing cosmetic surgery, holidaying numerous times a year, buying designer clothes, and generally enjoying the celebrity lifestyle.
It is also rumoured the Belle pursuaded genuine cancer sufferers to avoid medical help and to instead opt for natural remedies.
Asylum Seekers Resource Centre was one of the charities Belle claimed to be giving money too but when they realised they hadn’t received anything they raised the alarm with the Victoria state consumer watchdog.
Now it is thought that Belle, from Tasmania, could be fined $200,000 (£125,000) and her company, which is now in liquidation, could be fined up to $1.1 million (£685,000) at a penalty hearing later this month.
