When Netflix's "true-ish" series Apple Cider Vinegar opened with Belle Gibson staring defiantly into the camera declaring "this is a true story based on a lie," they weren't kidding. The six-part series dives headfirst into one of Australia's most shocking deceptions,

A new Netflix series dramatises the real-life story of Belle Gibson, the Australian wellness influencer who built an empire off the back of a non-existent brain tumour. Helen Coffey sorts reality from

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.

Milla's story is eerily similar to that of Jessica Ainscough, the so-called Australian "Wellness Warrior"—but series creator Samantha Strauss insists the character isn't just a version of Jessica. Here's what to know about the real-life inspiration behind Apple Cider Vinegar 's Milla Blake.

“This is a true story based on a lie,” are the first words you hear in each episode of Netflix’s new limited series Apple Cider Vinegar. The lie is one told by Belle Gibson, a real-life Australian wellness influencer who built an empire in the 2010s based on the fib that she had cured her terminal brain cancer with healthy eating.

Apple cider vinegar is more popular than ever. Before you start drinking it, keep these potential benefits and risks in mind.

Throughout Apple Cider Vinegar, journalists are investigating Belle. One of them, a journalist named Justin (Mark Coles Smith), learns about Belle from his partner Lucy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), who takes solace in Belle's feed while she’s undergoing breast cancer treatment—and even decides to pause it altogether and try alternative remedies.

The Netflix series, starring Kaitlyn Dever, tells the story of an Australian blogger who found fame and money by lying about having cancer.

Netflix

Who was the real Bella Gibson from Apple Cider Vinegar? One thing the Netflix series didn’t explain was the title of the show. This wasn’t something Bella touted as a cure-all

Don't worry — there's a cure for that! In the recent Netflix miniseries, "Apple Cider Vinegar," we see exactly how easy it is for wellness influencers to spread dangerous rhetoric . . . or just straight-up lie.