Wellness advocate Belle Gibson, who translated her high profile as a cancer survivor into publishing success, has admitted her cancer diagnosis was not real. Ms Gibson, 23, who claimed to have healed terminal brain cancer by eating wholefoods, made the admission in an interview with the Australian Women's Weekly.
The success of Gibson's book, The Whole Pantry, and her smartphone application, which advocates natural therapies, has been largely dependent on her high-profile as a cancer survivor.
Asked if she had ever had cancer, Ms Gibson told the magazine: "No. None of it's true.
"I don't want forgiveness. I just think [speaking out] was the responsible thing.
"Above anything, I would like people to say 'OK, she's human'."
There were also allegations that promised donations to charities had not been paid by the company she founded, The Whole Pantry.
In a statement published on the company's Facebook page, The Whole Pantry admitted cash flow problems.
"All remaining promised donations and support will be honoured as soon as the finances are in order," it said in a post last month.
Publisher Penguin Random House stopped printing The Whole Pantry in March amid uncertainty around whether Ms Gibson had cancer.
The Whole Pantry recipe book was released in Australia last year and was scheduled to be launched in the USA and England this month.
