Did Belle Gibson from Apple Cider Vinegar go to prison? What happened to the scammer

Apple Cider Vinegar, currently available on Netflix, recounts the real-life tale of Australian fraudster Belle Gibson, portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever. Gibson fabricated a brain tumour diagnosis and capitalised on this deception by launching an app named The Whole Pantry.

The brand provided recipes and advice for terminally ill individuals, with Gibson leveraging her substantial social media presence to advocate alternative treatments over legitimate therapies. She pledged that profits from her brand would be donated to various charities, but instead, these funds were channelled into maintaining her extravagant lifestyle.

Journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano ultimately unmasked Gibson, first for her bogus charity pledges and subsequently for her counterfeit cancer diagnosis. They penned a book about their investigative journey, titled The Woman Who Fooled the World.

In a 2015 interview, Gibson confessed to concocting the entire narrative, leading to legal repercussions for purportedly violating Australian consumer law. In September 2017, she was slapped with a $410,000 fine for making false claims about her charitable donations.

As of April 2019, Gibson had yet to settle the fine, prompting authorities to consider charging her with contempt of court. Failure to appear at the scheduled court date in May could have resulted in imprisonment.

By mid-September 2019, Gibson still hadn't paid the fine, with Consumer Affairs Victoria continuing their efforts to enforce the penalty.

In a letter disclosed by the Federal Court in 2017, Gibson revealed she was $170,000 in debt and had only $5,000 to her name. Her residence was subjected to several raids by the Sheriff's Office as they seized items to recover the unpaid fines, with the most recent raid occurring in May 2021.

Did Belle Gibson go to prison?

Despite speculation, Belle did not serve any jail time. It remains unclear whether she has settled the fines, but she has managed to evade imprisonment.

Reports suggest that her partner, Clive Rothwell (Ashley Zukerman), assisted with her legal costs and provided financial support for some time after her scandal came to light.

Discussing the decision to conclude Apple Cider Vinegar without showing Belle's fate, director Samantha Strauss stated: "in reality, Belle hasn't paid her fine, you know, never went to jail". She added: "And I was like, 'Yeah, you're right. It feels a bit too traditional'...We don't need to know all that detail, we can all Google it; hopefully [go] off down the rabbit hole."

Apple Cider Vinegar is streaming on Netflix