Belle Gibson raked in more than $AU1 million from the sales of her cookbook and downloads of her app. Photo / Facebook
Belle Gibson raked in more than $AU1 million from the sales of her cookbook and downloads of her app. Photo / Facebook
As disgraced cancer blogger Belle Gibson is found guilty of "a majority of charges against her of defrauding clients and profiting from false cancer claims", the young Australian's mother has revealed the extent of her daughter's lies and manipulation.
Natalie Dal-Bello has come out swinging after her daughter told TheAustralian Women's Weekly that she had endured a "troubled" childhood which may have influenced her penchant for lying about her condition.
Gibson amassed a huge social media following, releasing a cookbook and an app called The Whole Pantry, where she promoted the clean eating and juice cleanses that had apparently cured her cancer.
When she finally admitted that her claims were false in a 2015 interview with The Weekly, she pointed the finger at her mother and her upbringing.
Gibson claimed as a 5-year-old she was forced to care for Dal-Bello (who has multiple sclerosis), run the family home and look after her autistic brother.
But Dal-Bello has rubbished Gibson's claims, telling The Weekly the only truth to the story was her MS.
"Her brother is not autistic and she's barely done a minute's housework in her life," she said.