Consumer Affairs Victoria says invoice paying for exclusive interview with Whole Pantry founder included in affidavit

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The disgraced wellness blogger Belle Gibson was paid $75,000 by Channel Nine for an exclusive interview on 60 Minutes, according to court documents filed by Consumer Affairs Victoria.

In June last year Gibson was interviewed by the 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown about faking brain cancer but her answers were incoherent and she even declined to give her age.

Nine has declined to say whether Gibson was paid for the bizarre interview, in which she told Brown she was the victim despite having deceived social media followers who believed she had terminal cancer.

“I didn’t trade in on my story or in other peoples lives,” Gibson told Channel Nine. “I’m not trying to get away with anything.”

Belle Gibson video submitted to court sparks condemnation over cancer claims Read more

Confirmation she was paid handsomely by 60 Minutes has emerged from the hundreds of documents filed by Consumer Affairs Victoria in the federal court.



A spokeswoman for Consumer Affairs confirmed the invoice for $75,000 dated July 2015 is included in an affidavit in the 1,500-page cache of documents filed with the court.

In May Consumer Affairs announced it would take action against Gibson after an investigation into her alleged contraventions of consumer law.

“The alleged contraventions relate to false claims by Ms Gibson and her company concerning her diagnosis with terminal brain cancer, her rejection of conventional cancer treatments in favour of natural remedies and the donation of proceeds to various charities,” the justice department said.

In the book The Whole Pantry, published by Penguin, Gibson claimed she had been diagnosed with malignant brain cancer at the age of 20 and had tried radiotherapy and chemotherapy but that diets and natural treatments had saved her life.

Penguin later withdrew the book from sale after acknowledging the statements made in it were not true.



Gibson’s payments from media appearances and her relationships with publishers and media companies are now being laid bare through the court case.

It was also revealed the federal court in Victoria last week that Gibson had made more than $420,000 from sales of her app and received a $132,500 book ­advance.

Company bank records tendered to the court show she made payments for a BMW, spent hundreds on Uber rides, spent money on overseas travel, including a trip to San Francisco, and at the Apple iTunes store and eating out at cafes.

Last week a video emerged of Gibson being coached by Penguin Publishing.

Her social media posts, including one where she said she had cured her terminal brain cancer “naturally”, are also being used as evidence she committed fraud.



So far Gibson has failed to appear at court.

