Melbourne entrepreneur Belle Gibson has come under fire after several of her former friends and the publisher of her popular wellness book have cast doubt over her inspirational story of cancer survival.
Melbourne entrepreneur Belle Gibson has come under fire after several of her former friends and the publisher of her popular wellness book have cast doubt over her inspirational story of cancer survival.
Belle, who is the popular author of book and website The Whole Pantry, claims she survived a brain tumor for five years with alternative cancer treatments.
It appears that she is now under investigation by the Victorian consumer watchdog after she allegedly failed to hand over thousands of dollars in charity proceeds. She has also been accused of overstating her company’s total donations to a range of different charity causes.
Belle’s huge social media following quickly grew after she began posting tips and recipes on alternative cancer treatments.
Previously stating she had just four months to live after being diagnosed with a brain tumour, Belle said she abandoned chemotherapy within two months of her treatment.
She began alternative treatments and soon after launched her own book and a hugely successful app which has been downloaded 300,000 times.
Last year, Belle continued to post health updates to her facebook page saying in one post that the cancer had spread to her blood, spleen, brain and uterus and saying it had spread to her liver and kidneys in another.
Controversially, her cancer survival claims are now in doubt following an interview with The Australian.
When questioned about her health, Belle said her second cancer scare was based on a “misdiagnosis” saying that a medical team in Germany used ‘magnetic’ therapy to diagnose her.
She said she is now seeking conventional medical treatment after being left feeling “confused, bordering on humiliation”.
The posts about her cancer spreading have since been removed from The Wellness Pantry facebook page.
Following The Australian interview, several of Belle’s former friends and employees have since stepped forward saying they think that her story doesn’t quite add up.
“She admitted her diagnosis was questionable,” one friend said.
“I asked her when she got her diagnosis, she said she didn’t know. I asked her who gave her the diagnosis, she said Dr Phil. I asked if Dr Phil had a last name she didn’t know, he disappeared. I asked her where she saw Dr Phil, she said he came and picked [her] up from [her] house.”
Meanwhile, A former employee said: “She would post on social media that she’s been at doctor’s appointment all day but really she was just going to the dentist … she got her veneers done. She would make it sound like it was for cancer-related illness.”
Penguin Publishing, who published her popular book, has also admitted they don’t have any evidence of Belle’s medical history, saying they published her recipes in ‘good faith’.
“We’ll discuss them with Belle, as ultimately only she can answer the questions,” a Penguin Publishing spokesperson said in a statement on the issue.
Neither Ms Gibson nor her companies are registered fundraisers in Victoria.
“Consumer Affairs Victoria is currently making enquiries with Ms Gibson and her associated companies as to the nature of any fundraising appeals that may have occurred, including details of beneficiaries and net proceeds given,” a spokeswoman said.
Belle has not yet responded to these controversial allegations.
