Relatives of cancer fraudster Belle Gibson, who faked a brain tumor to promote her lucrative wellness brand, have shed light on the disgraced influencer’s difficult childhood.
In their first interview, Belle Gibson’s stepfather, Andrew Dal-Bello, and her brother, Nick Gibson, from Melbourne, have revealed her disturbing childhood, where a complex relationship with her mother, Natalie Dal-Bello, saw her move away. she left home in her teens to live with a “random man.”
Belle, now 32, who claimed to suffer from a malignant brain tumour, said she had been cured with an exercise regime and alternative medicine therapies.
Her lies came to light in 2015 when she was exposed as a blatant liar and thief.
Belle’s mother, Natalie, passed away in 2017 after a years-long battle with multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease that affects the brain and central nervous system. In a new ITV documentary, family members revealed she “struggled to be a mother to Belle” and “lost control”.
Belle’s stepfather Andrew Dal-Ballo (pictured) revealed that Belle had a difficult relationship with her mother.
Belle Gibson’s brother Nick Gibson (pictured) has delved into his troubled relationship with his sister on ITV1’s Worst Con Artist Instagram.
On Instagram’s Worst Scammer on ITV1, Belle’s stepfather Andrew revealed: “Natalie had parenting issues, I think she really lost control.”
“I met Natalie in June 2012, but her health worsened over time and eventually, in 2017, Natalie passed away.”
“I would say they were probably pretty close at the beginning, but there have always been problems in their relationship, and with Nick and Belle as well, definitely.”
Belle had claimed she had been given four months to live with an inoperable brain tumour, but escaped death thanks to a “clean eating” diet based on fruits and vegetables.
The message sparked a global wellness phenomenon, leading to Apple promoting its The Whole Pantry phone app, the first of its kind in the world, and a lucrative book deal with Penguin.
The influencer’s story quickly began to unravel and, in April 2015, she admitted that she had lied.
In an interview with Australian women’s weeklyShe said, “No… None of that is true,” before adding that she hoped people would forgive her and see that she was only “human.”
“We saw the article in Women’s Weekly,” Belle’s stepfather Andrew said on ITV1’s Worst Con Artist Instagram. And he added: ‘It’s what made Natalie want to give her opinion.
Belle’s welfare scam fooled thousands of people. She is pictured above in 2014 after being crowned Cosmopolitan’s ‘Social Media Star of the Year’.
Nick compared his relationship with Bella during their childhood (pictured) to “glue”, adding that the pair had a “strong bond”.
—I looked up the number of Women’s Weekly and called. When Natalie saw the article, she burst into tears. It became very overwhelming for her. Natalie was beside herself.
“I think Natalie wanted to apologize to all the people who had been hurt, set the record straight about what Belle said about a dysfunctional home, which really made her angry.”
However, even though Natalie wanted to set the record straight about Belle’s upbringing, Andrew alluded to a murky past, suggesting their relationship was far from simple.
Andrew explained: “Looking back on it, I think it would have been a tough time for Nick and Belle because Natalie was dating people that you and I might not date.”
‘[They] They took advantage of Natalie and didn’t really give her much, but they took a lot and some of them also did physical harm to Natalie, it was a pretty tough time.
Belle reportedly moved out of her mother’s house at the age of 13 and moved into a “random” man’s house.
Belle’s relationship with her older brother reportedly worsened when they started high school.
‘Finally, Belle moved out of the house. She was very young, I think she was between 13 and 15 years old. According to Natalie, she had moved in with an elderly man not far from where she lived.
Andrew asked: “Why would you let a 13-15 year old boy go live with a man on the same street, if an older man with a girl doesn’t seem too good to me?”
When asked about the “old man” Belle moved in with during her teenage years, Belle’s older brother Nick, 33, reported a similar account: “He just took Belle in.”
‘Personally, I didn’t like the Day Dot guy. Mom should have gotten to know her boy better before moving in, but she didn’t.
He explained that, growing up, he and Bella “were stuck like glue,” adding, “We had a very strong bond.”
But as the couple grew older, their dynamic altered: “It became more difficult as Belle and I got older, and we distanced ourselves from each other. It was a couple of years before I started high school.
On the topic of Bella’s relationship with her mother, he said: “It was on and off for a long time, their relationship wasn’t the best, I’ll be honest.”
Nick explained that Belle would get defensive about money, especially when Natalie couldn’t provide her with the amount of money she wanted.
“I also didn’t like the way they treated mom. Bella can be very aggressive and very vile with her words, it wasn’t nice at all,” she said. Nick added: “It was very hard for me and my mother.”
In 2013, Belle Gibson launched the Instagram account @healing_belle, where she built a large following by sharing so-called “healing” food recipes.
He claimed that his lifestyle and healthy eating plan had “cured” his inoperable brain cancer, which he had been diagnosed with at the age of 20 and given just months to live.
Belle claimed she had undergone traditional cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, before abandoning modern medicine to follow a healthy eating programme.
Before long, deals started coming in, and Gibson launched an app full of recipes, as well as an offer for a book, worth £213,500 ($420,000 AUD).
Describing her plant-based diet in her book, she said, “I was strengthening myself to save my own life through nutrition, patience, determination and love.”
However, in 2014, the Melbourne personality claimed that despite her new wellness-focused lifestyle, her cancer had returned and this time it had spread.
While many fans were devastated by the news, suspicions soon arose over the money he claimed to have donated to various charities with the proceeds of his book.
Following an investigation by Fairfax Media, it was discovered that none of the charities Belle had named had received a penny from her.
The influencer’s story quickly began to unravel and in April 2015, she was forced to admit that she had lied.
In an interview with Australian women’s weeklyShe said, “No… None of that is true,” before adding that she hoped people would forgive her and see that she was only “human.”
Two years after her admission, Belle was fined around £215,000 ($410,000 AUD) after being found guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct.
The former wellness blogger has now adopted the ‘Oromo’ ethnic group in Melbourne, and even started wearing a headscarf and calling herself ‘Sabontu’.
Instagram’s worst scammer ITV1 and ITVX 9pm Thursday.