A new BBC Three documentary explores the downfall of Belle Gibson, an influencer who lied about having cancer.
At the centre of a national controversy, blogger Belle Gibson started and destroyed her career with social media. Bad Influencer: The Great Insta Con explores what happened to Belle, from her incredible fan base to the web of lies she crafted for her audience.
Belle grew her following as a 'wellness blogger', someone who posts day to day tips, tricks and positive affirmations to help you get through the daily grind. Racking up over 300,000 followers on Instagram, she was a force to be reckoned with.
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At the time, Belle lied about having terminal cancer and said she was battling it through holistic and natural methods. This means she shed the need for chemotherapy and other medical procedures in favour of letting the world and natural products cure her.
Due to her phenomenal following, she released an app and book The Whole Pantry, which was downloaded over 200,000 within the first few days. In the product, it suggested hope to people also battling cancer that healthy foods could help with their illnesses. She also stated that it was already helping her with her own terminal cancer, something she did not have.
Following several huge business ventures, including another book deal which brought in over £100,000 in revenue, her inner circle started to doubt everything was as it seemed. Journalists from The Age heard of rumours Belle was fabricating her story and decided to investigate.
Journalists discovered Belle was promising businesses and organisations funding that would lead to charity donations but none of her agreements were ever met. To date, Belle has been made to pay over £500,000.
The BBC Three documentary takes a deeper look into her lies, how she was found out and the countless fans and cancer patients who looked up to her. Bad Influencer: The Great Insta Con airs 9:15pm May 1.
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