Belle Gibson’s father speaks out for the first time about cancer faker’s ‘strange childhood with murky characters in her past’
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 troubled childhood.
In their first interview, Belle Gibson’s stepfather, Andrew Dal-Bello, and brother, Nick Gibson, from Melbourne, lifted the lid on her troubled childhood, during which a complex relationship with her mother, Natalie Dal-Bello, saw her move away. left home in her early teens to live with a ‘random man’.
Belle, now 32, who claimed to be suffering from a malignant brain tumour, said she cured herself with an exercise regime and alternative medicine.
Her fabrications came to light in 2015 when she was exposed as a bare-faced liar and thief.
Belle’s mother Natalie passed away in 2017 after a years-long battle with multiple sclerosis, a lifelong condition that affects the brain and central nervous system. In a new ITV documentary, relatives have revealed she ‘struggled to parent Belle’ and ‘lost control’.
Belle’s stepfather Andrew Dal-Ballo (pictured) revealed that Belle had a rocky relationship with her mother
Belle Gibson’s brother Nick Gibson (pictured) has delved into his troubled relationship with his sister in ITV1’s Instagram’s Worst Con Artist
In Instagram’s Worst Con Artist on ITV1, Belle’s stepdad Andrew revealed: ‘Natalie struggled with parenthood, she really lost control I think.’
‘I met Natalie in June 2012, but her health deteriorated over time and Natalie eventually passed away in 2017.’
“I would say they were probably close at first, but there have always been issues in their relationship, especially with Nick and Belle.”
Belle had claimed she was given four months to live with an inoperable brain tumor, but escaped death through a fruit and vegetable-based ‘clean eating’ diet.
The message sparked a global wellness phenomenon, leading to her phone app The Whole Pantry – the first of its kind in the world – being promoted by Apple and landing a lucrative book deal with Penguin.
The influencer’s story soon began to unravel and in April 2015 she admitted that she had lied.
In an interview with Australia Women’s Weeklyshe said, “No… It’s all not true,” before adding that she hoped people would forgive her and see that she was only “a human being.”
“We saw the article in Women’s Weekly,” Belle’s stepdad Andrew said on ITV1’s Instagram’s Worst Con Artist. He added: “It’s the reason Natalie wanted her to say something.
Belle’s welfare scam fooled thousands. She is pictured above in 2014 after being crowned Cosmopolitan’s ‘Social Media Star of the Year’
Nick compared his relationship with Belle 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 were hurt, to set the record straight about what Belle said about a dysfunctional house, which really made her angry.”
Despite Natalie wanting to set the record straight about Belle’s upbringing, Andrew hinted at a dark past, suggesting their relationship was anything but smooth sailing.
Andrew explained: “Looking back on it, I think times would have been tough for Nick and Belle because Natalie was dating people that you and I might not date.
‘[They] took advantage of Natalie and didn’t really give her much, but took a lot and some of them also physically harmed Natalie, it was some pretty tough times.”
Belle is said to have left her mother’s house at the age of 13 and moved to a ‘random’ man’s house
Belle’s relationship with her older brother reportedly took a turn for the worse when they entered high school
‘Eventually Belle left home. It was a very young age, I think about 13 to 15 years old. According to Natalie, she had moved in with an old man not far from where she lived.”
Andrew wondered, “Why would you let a 13 to 15 year old go and live with a guy down the street? An old man with a young girl doesn’t seem very good to me.’
When asked about the “old man” Belle moved in with during her early teens, Belle’s older brother, Nick, 33, told a similar story: “He just took Belle in.”
“Personally, I didn’t like Day Dot’s guy. Mom should have gotten to know that man better before moving in, but it didn’t happen that way.”
He explained that he and Belle “stuck like glue” growing up, adding, “We had a very strong bond.”
But as the couple grew older, their dynamic changed: “Things got harder as Belle and I got older, and we drifted apart. It was a few years before high school started.
Of Belle’s relationship with their 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 become defensive when it came to money, especially if Natalie couldn’t give her the allowance she wanted.
‘I didn’t like the way mum was treated either. Belle can be very aggressive and very mean with her words, it was not pleasant at all,” he said. Nick added: ‘It’s been really hard for myself and my mum.’
In 2013, Belle Gibson launched the Instagram account @healing_belle, where she gained a following by sharing so-called ‘healing’ food recipes.
She claimed that her lifestyle and healthy eating plan had ‘cured’ her inoperable brain cancer, which she was 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 ditching modern medicine and instead following a program of clean eating.
It didn’t take long for the deals to pour in, with Gibson launching a recipe-filled app, as well as a book deal, reportedly worth £213,500 ($420,000 AUD).
Describing her plant-based diet in her book, she said, “I gave myself the power to save my own life through nutrition, patience, determination and love.”
However, in 2014, the Melbourne-based personality claimed that despite her new wellness-focused lifestyle, her cancer had returned, and this time the disease had spread.
While many fans were devastated by the news, suspicions soon arose about the money she claimed to have donated to various charities from the proceeds of her book.
Following an investigation by Fairfax Media, it was discovered that none of the charities Belle had named had received a cent from her.
The influencer’s story soon began to unravel and in April 2015 she was forced to admit that she had lied.
In an interview with Australia Women’s Weeklyshe said, “No… None of it is true,” before adding that she hoped people would forgive her and see that she was just a “human.”
Two years after her confession, Belle was fined approximately £215,000 ($410,000 AUD) after being found guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct.
The former wellness blogger has now adopted Melbourne’s ‘Oromo’ ethnic group, even taking to wearing a headscarf and calling herself ‘Sabontu’.
Instagram’s Worst Scammer ITV1 & ITVX 9pm Thursday.