The fallout from Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar.

It's the story that captivated us for years. Australian 'wellness warrior' Belle Gibson built an empire on the biggest lie: that she'd cured her terminal brain cancer with nothing but diet and alternative therapies.

She built a career off the back of those lies — releasing a bestselling app and cookbook, landing deals with major brands, and positioning herself as a health guru. But in 2015, the truth unravelled.

Gibson never had cancer.

Her entire brand was built on deception.

She was later fined $410,000 for misleading conduct, a debt she still hasn't paid.

Now, thanks to Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar, the disgraced influencer is back in the spotlight — and people have questions.

Unfortunately, the show subverts the standard "what happened next?" postscript you might've expected at the end of the "true-ish" story.

Instead, Gibson, played by Kaitlyn Dever, interrupts and tells us: "You know what? You can Google it".

We're here to make that search easy for you. Here's what happened after, including the aftermath of the show's release.

Watch the trailer for Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar. Post continues below.

What happened to Belle Gibson?

Gibson's fall was faster than her rise. In 2015, everything came crashing down.

Investigative journalists from The Age, Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, were tipped off by friend Chanelle McAuliffe that Belle's cancer was a ruse.

Finding it difficult to prove Belle lied about her cancer without medical records, they instead broke the news that she had not given funds raised for charities to them. Alongside this, they published people's doubts about her cancer diagnosis.

Three months later, Gibson admitted in two interviews — one with Women's Weekly and another with 60 Minutes — her cancer was a lie, but the story changed each time.

Listen to The Quicky discuss Apple Cider Vinegar. Post continues below.

"None of it's true," she told Women's Weekly.

Speaking to 60 Minutes a few months later, she claimed she had been wrongfully diagnosed with cancer and "lived for years with the fear that I was dying".

"I wasn't living in a space where I didn't know that this was my reality," she said.

With the truth exposed, her lies quickly unravelled.

Soon, Gibson's app, The Whole Pantry, was removed from the App Store and Penguin Australia cancelled her The Whole Pantry cookbook, stripping it from the shelves and scrapping its US launch.

Kaitlyn Dever as Gibson in Apple Cider Vinegar. Image: Netflix.

Jess Ainscough's loved ones have spoken out about the show.

Milla from Apple Cider Vinegar is based on several people, according to series creator Samantha Strauss."I'd say Milla is a portrait of influencers at the time," Samantha told Netflix's Tudum. "She's someone who is desperately trying to save her own life and becomes blind to the truth because of it."

Alycia Debnam-Carey, who plays Milla, says the character is inspired by Jess Ainscough. Though, they have changed a lot of her real-life story in order to make the characters of Milla and Belle go 'toe-to-toe'.

Jess's former partner, Tallon Pamenter, has since shut down the idea that Milla was based on Jess, slamming it as, "plain ridiculous and offensive."

"Saying that [Alycia's] Milla character is based on Jess is quite insulting and could not be further from the truth," he said to The Australian.

"It's a falsified dramatic fictional portrayal — which isn't surprising, considering none of us were ever consulted for information or fact-checking."

Similarly, Ainscough's father, Col ­Ainscough also called out Netflix for "inaccurately" portraying his daughter in the show, claiming that any association of Jess with Gibson was disrespectful to her memory.

"Jess and Belle Gibson were never friends," Mr ­Ainscough told The Daily Telegraph.

"Continually linking Jess's name to Belle is appalling. Jess doesn't deserve her legacy to be tarnished by this."

Belle Gibson has still not paid her fines.

Despite telling sick and dying Australians that food 'healed her cancer', Belle Gibson was never criminally charged for her lies.

But in May 2016, Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) launched a civil suit against Belle's company in Federal Court, following allegations she breached Australian consumer law.

It was alleged that Belle did not donate to charities as she said she would, and that she knew she didn't have brain cancer. Belle admitted to not having the disease but maintained that she was under the impression she did.

Federal Court Justice Debra Mortimer found that Belle's story was "misleading and deceptive" and that she had "no reasonable basis to believe" she had brain cancer while creating The Whole Pantry.

In 2017, she was fined $410,000. She was also ordered to pay $30,000 in legal costs.

"If there is one theme or pattern which emerges through her conduct, it is her relentless obsession with herself and what best serves her interests," Justice Debra Mortimer said.

Belle Gibson during her interview on 60 Minutes. Image: 60 Minutes.

As Gibson has never been criminally prosecuted, she's never had to go jail over the lies.

However, she has been threatened with jail time for failing to pay her fines. Gibson dodged making payments throughout all of 2018, prompting further legal action from CAV.

She was told she would be "liable to imprisonment, sequestration of property or other punishment" if she failed to pay up. However, the threat of time behind bars didn't seem to rattle Gibson.

She was called into court twice in 2019 for her failure to pay and claimed she still couldn't afford to repay her debt.

However, financial analysis showed Gibson had spent about $90,000 between 2017 and 2019, including trips to Bali and Africa and $13,000 on clothes, cosmetics and accessories, according to ABC.

The following year, Victoria's Sheriff's Office raided Gibson's home on a "search and sale" warrant.

Her home was raided again in 2021 in an attempt to recoup the more than $500,000 in unpaid fines, interest and penalties.

Despite repeated legal actions, there's been little movement. It remains unclear whether authorities have any remaining options to force her to pay up — or if she ever will.

In addition to Belle's civil lawsuit, CAV confirmed that Penguin publishers never required Belle to substantiate her cancer claims before publishing The Whole Pantry.

They agreed to donate $30,000 to the Victorian Consumer Law Fund.

Listen to a brutally honest review of Apple Cider Vinegar on The Spill. Post continues below.

The Victorian premier has weighed in.

Because of the widespread conversations being had about Belle Gibson following the release of Apple Cider Vinegar, even the Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan has weighed in, confirming that authorities remain committed to recovering the substantial fine imposed on the cancer fraudster.

"Behind the TV stories, behind the dramatisation, are real people who have had their lives devastated by the actions of this individual," Allan told reporters. "Consumer Affairs Victoria is continuing to pursue this, particularly in the context of the orders that have been made by the court.

"There are fines outstanding and Consumer Affairs Victoria is pursuing this constantly and consistently and won't let up."

Where is Belle Gibson now?

Since her scandal, Gibson has largely disappeared from public view. However, media investigations have tracked her down in Melbourne.

In 2020, she was discovered to be involved in Melbourne's Ethiopian community, where she had reinvented herself and was living under a new name, Sabontu.

"Ask me what my name is now," Gibson said in a video posted on Facebook by Shabo Media. "Today our diaspora community met to discuss the current situation of Ethiopia."

"My heart is deeply embedded in the Oromo people," she said. "I feel blessed to be adopted by you."

Dr Tarekegn Chimdi, who heads Melbourne's Ethiopian community, initially dismissed her as someone's girlfriend. But when reporters revealed the truth, he demanded she leave.

"She exploited our community's kindness," he told Women's Weekly. "Our people are trusting — they don't question strangers who approach them. They had no idea about her true intentions."

Watch Belle Gibson speak about being a part of the Ethiopian community. Post continues below.

As of February 2021, the Federal Court marked Gibson's case as "abandoned", according to Women's Weekly.

Despite this, authorities say they are still chasing the money.

In February 2024, a reporter from A Current Affair approached Gibson at a petrol station. When asked why she hasn't "paid a cent" of her fines, she responded, "Have some humanity. I haven't paid things because I can't afford to."

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan last week confirmed consumer affairs was continuing to pursue the matter.

"There are fines outstanding and Consumer Affairs Victoria is pursuing this constantly and consistently and won't let up," she told a press conference.

It is not clear how much remains unpaid.

Belle Gibson outside court. Image: AAP.

Belle Gibson and Clive Rothwell have reportedly split.

Gibson has also reportedly split from her long-time partner, Clive Rothwell, according to the Daily Mail.

Rothwell acted as a stepfather to Gibson's son, Oliver, and stood by her, funding her lifestyle for years after her lies were exposed, a court was told in 2019.

In court, Gibson described Rothwell as her housemate and friend. However, close friend Chanelle McAuliffe (who seemingly inspired Aisha Dee's character on the series) referred to Rothwell as Gibson's partner when speaking to Women's Day last year.

The pair's relationship reportedly came to an end in November 2023, when Rothwell moved into a separate apartment and was spotted with a new woman. There have been no recent reports on Gibson's son, Oliver.

Since then, Gibson's life has stayed quiet. Despite legal actions and public outcry, she's remained tight-lipped about her life now and intentions to pay the outstanding fines.

But if history tells us anything, it's that Belle Gibson always finds a way to reinvent herself. The question is — where will she turn up next?

Feature image: Instagram/@jessainscough, AAP, Netflix.