Huge blow for Elle Macpherson after her book tour sparked ‘holistic’ cancer cure controversy

Supermodel Elle Macpherson’s much-discussed memoirs failed to stir the world.

Despite the headlines of the past week, Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself has failed to resonate with audiences, judging by new sales figures.

The 60-year-old’s memoir failed to make the top ten most popular audiobooks in Australia more than a week after its release.

Australian audiobook supplier Audible Australia the book, which is read by Macpherson himself, currently sits at a modest 14th place in the top 100 best-selling audiobooks.

Elle’s memoir was surpassed by books such as The Courage To Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi, which is currently at number nine.

And it’s not just the spoken versions of the book that aren’t selling well.

The memoirs have done an even more mediocre job amazon.com.auwith the online retailer ranking the memoir at number 34 on its list of 100 best-selling books.

Indigenous psychologist Tracy Westerman’s memoir Jilya fared better, ranking at number 33.

On Booktopia, Elle’s story failed to crack the top ten bestselling biographies and true stories, while it didn’t appear on Booktopia at all. Dymocks’ top 100 bestseller list.

The former catwalker sparked debate after it was revealed in her memoir that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and opted for a “holistic” treatment approach.

She defied the advice of 32 doctors by refusing chemotherapy after undergoing breast-conserving surgery for HER2-positive estrogen-responsive intraductal carcinoma.

This led to a wave of backlash from the public and healthcare professionals against this unconventional treatment method.

Australian audiobook provider Audible Australia currently has the book at a disappointing 14th place in its top 100 best-selling audiobooks list.

Seven years ago, the model was diagnosed with breast cancer, but in her book she describes that diagnosis for the first time.

In a candid interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Elle told Tracy Grimshaw she was “in shock” when she was diagnosed, but chose not to undergo the mastectomy and chemotherapy her doctors recommended.

“As you can imagine, it was a bit of a shock. I think any woman, most women, when they get diagnosed, they don’t think it’s going to happen to them,” she said.

She underwent breast-conserving surgery and discovered that her cancer had no clear boundaries, meaning the cancer could have spread.

She said she was told she would have to undergo a “mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and hormone replacement.”

The memoir has fared even worse on amazon.com.au, with the online retailer placing the memoir at a meager 34th place on its top 100 best-selling books list.

Elle said she has always followed “natural medicine” and that her choice was “unconventional,” just like the “rest of her life.”

“It was a choice to lose my breasts or lose my life that I was given. So it wasn’t an idle choice, let me put it that way. It was a natural route in my treatment from within,” she said.

‘I really looked at the body in a holistic way: spiritual and physical well-being.’

She defied the advice of 32 doctors by refusing chemotherapy after undergoing breast-conserving surgery for HER2-positive estrogen-responsive intraductal carcinoma.

She underwent eight months of intensive therapy with doctors in Phoenix, Arizona, using a holistic approach.