Belle Gibson fooled not only her hundreds of thousands of followers, but the most prestigious book publishers in Australia, the tech giants of silicon valley and even her family and friends into believing she was something she was not: sick. If today, her name is synonymous with the weighty infamy of a notorious scam, there was a time before that, when she was celebrated as an inspiration.

On this episode of Extraordinary Stories, we look at the rise of Belle Gibson. From tall tales in school drama classes to international acclaim and influence, how did Annabelle Natalie Gibson become the pinup girl for the wellness movement?

Listen: 
Belle Gibson (Part 2): The Email No One Wanted To Believe
Belle Gibson (Part 3): Reckoning & Reinvention

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CREDITS:

Bronwyn McCahon
Doctor Brad McKay
Kylie Willey 
Tara Brown

Sources:

The Woman Who Fooled The World by Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano 

Fake Medicine by Brad Mckay

The Girl Who Conned Us All by Clair Weaver https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/real-life/belle-gibson-the-whole-story-10129

https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/local-news/belle-gibson-speaks-for-the-first-time-since-her-whole-pantry-controversy-13532 

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright

Producers: Melanie Sauer and Emma Gillespie

Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.