Who is former influencer Belle Gibson and why did she fake cancer?
BELLE GIBSON left fans devastated when they discovered that she had pretended to have cancer.
The blogger, from Australia, was given a £240,000 fine in 2017 for exploiting her followers and her con is now being explored in ITVX's The Search For Instagram's Worst Con Artist.
Who is Belle Gibson and how did she become famous?
Belle Gibson found fame through Instagram as a food and health blogger from Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
After amassing thousands of followers Gibson launched her The Whole Pantry app in August 2013.
She reportedly had 200,000 users downloading the app within the first month.
She later signed a deal with Lantern Books for a coffee table cookbook which was published in October 2014.
What did Belle Gibson lie about?
Gibson falsely claimed to have terminal brain cancer throughout her fame.
Fans often praised the star for her courage and many listed her as an inspiration.
Gibson advocated for the use of natural remedies over medication, claiming she had "countless times helped others" and had led them "down natural therapy for everything from fertility, depression, bone damage and other types of cancer".
She also made multiple claims that she'd donated large portions of her income to cancer charities, some of which she raised with help from her Instagram followers, all of which failed to materialise.
How did Belle Gibson get caught?
Gibson's lies began to unravel in 2014 when her book was released.
The preface for the book stated she had been "stable for two years now with no growth of the cancer", a claim that was inconsistent with what she had told other media outlets previously.
Writers Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano then uncovered Gibson's lies about her fraudulent charity donations, details which were then shared in their book The Woman Who Fooled the World.
Then, in late April 2015, Gibson gave an interview to The Australian Women's Weekly, where she admitted to having fabricated all her cancer claims.
In September 2017, Gibson was fined $410,000 (£240,000) for making fraudulent claims about her donations to charity.
In May 2021 Gibson's house was raided in an attempt to recoup the fine - which she had not paid up until that point.
A spokeswoman for Consumer Affairs said at the time: "A warrant of seizure and sale on Ms Gibson was executed today by Sheriff's Officers at an address in Northcote."
When the fine was initially given, Gibson told the court that she was "not in a position" to pay.
Where is Belle Gibson now?
Since her lies were exposed, Gibson has stayed out of the spotlight.
She does not appear in the ITVX documentary about her but older brother Nick has given a rare interview for the series.
It has been reported that during her time as a blogger Gibson also lied about her sibling.
It's thought that she did so in order to make her family life seem more difficult than it actually was.
Does Belle Gibson have any children?
Gibson has a son called Oliver.
He was born in July 2010 when Gibson was 18 years old.
The identity of Oliver's father isn't public knowledge but a man named Clive Rothwell, who was once rumoured to be engaged to Gibson, reportedly acted as a step-father to him from when he was young,
Contrary to the engagement rumours, Gibson once told the court that she and Rothwell were "just friends" - despite him spending thousands on overseas trips for her.
Why did Belle Gibson fake cancer?
In 2017 Gibson was found guilty of five breaches of consumer law.
At the time, a judge said Belle may have "genuinely" believed that she had cancer and believed what she was telling her followers.
The judge added that Gibson may have suffered from "delusions" about her health.
Gibson's former friend, Chanelle McAuliffe, appears in the ITVX documentary and shares her own theory on why Gibson did what she did.
She said: "In my opinion, it was a strategy.
"It's just a f***ing business strategy."
The Search For Instagram's Worst Con Artist is available to stream on ITVX.