New documentary unravels story of influencer who lied about having cancer

A blank space is at the core of BBC Three’s documentary, ‘Bad Influencer: The Great Insta Con’, which is the titular character herself. Belle Gibson, a Melbourne “wellness” expert, deceived the world by fabricating a narrative about having terminal brain cancer. Gibson, though, stays elusive and unknown throughout this fascinating account of her meteoric rise and downfall.

What we do know is that her deception caused a great deal of harm. Gibson had claimed to have held her illness at bay by eschewing traditional therapy in favour of a “wellness” diet that included avocados, berries, and no alcohol, among other things. She became a celebrity overnight after documenting her “miracle” recovery on Instagram.

Following that came a book deal and an Apple app, as well as millions of clicks. Nobody bothered to check her claims or even wonder how someone with cancer could have such a healthy glow.

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Hers isn’t a narrative without victims. Pixie Turner is introduced, who defied doctors’ advise and sought to heal her condition by following Gibson’s diet and lifestyle on social media. Maxine Ali — who had gained weight on steroids to treat an underlying illness, then stopped taking them to follow Gibson’s lead — did the same.

“Seeing someone like Belle heal themselves made me feel hopeful,” Maxine told BBC. “This was the answer to everything I had been looking for.” Her weight had dropped dangerously low in a year, and she was frequently hungry.

At its heart, Bad Influencer is a tribute to old-school journalism and the concept of objective truth, both of which concepts are typically foreign to social media users. The real Gibson — who never had cancer and had a habit of faking terminal sickness — was unmasked by Richard Guilliatt, a gumshoe reporter.

Gibson reacted to his inquiry by phoning him and hinting that if he continues it, something bad would happen. “She’s just suggested if I publish this story she’s going to top herself,” Guilliatt told The Irish Times.

But he wasn’t the only one who saw flaws in her story. The jig was soon up. Gibson, like her Apple endorsement and the Penguin book contract, had vanished.

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Guilliatt has been undecided about his feelings for Gibson. On one of his face-to-face interviews with her, he was struck by how disconnected she was from what was going on around her. “She was a very fragile person whose grip on reality was tenuous,” The Irish Times quoted him as saying.

Despite this, the wellness business continues to thrive, with people selling phony versions of themselves on social media. Bad Influencer is a reminder to constantly be alert and suspicious, in addition to paying homage to old-fashioned reporting. And yet on the internet, so-called sages telling people what they want to hear frequently take precedence over the truth.