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Belle Gibson Faces Legal Action Over False Cancer Claims

By Sara Gale | Update Date: May 06, 2016 07:57 PM EDT

Annabelle Natalie "Belle" Gibson, a wellness blogger, who faked to have fought terminal brain cancer with changes in diet and lifestyle, is facing legal charges for "misleading and deceptive conduct." She is said to have deceived tens of thousands of people with her book and mobile application.

Belle Gibson claimed that she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 1999 at the age of 20 and she survived the disease by making changes in her diet and lifestyle. She also had a recipe book named "The Whole Pantry" published by penguin for treating diseases with diet and lifestyle modification. Gibson's "The Whole Pantry" mobile application which was launched around the same time was first of its kinds to be available in Apple watch, reported The Guardian.

The mother of one also claimed that she had liver, spleen, blood and uterine cancer. But after a point of time when media probed the issue, she admitted that her cancer claims were untrue and revealed that she never suffered from any fatal illness.

It was also found that Belle Gibson faked her age when it was out that she was born in 1991. Gibbon who had two birth documents one each for 26 and 23 years said that she wasn't sure of her age.

Gibson also failed to donate a part of the funds raised from the book and application sales to charity as promised. However, the company admitted in March that donations could not be made because of the "cash-flow problems" in the company.

"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," said Consumer Affairs Victoria, which is investigating the Gibson's case in a statement, reported Independent.

Penguin that released Belle Gibson's book accepted that they failed to proof-check the book and "published in good faith." The company was ordered to pay $30,000 to Victorian consumer law fund for committing the terrible mistake.

"[Ensuring] consumers receive only verified information and are not deceived, particularly where serious matters of health and medical treatment are concerned," said Simon Cohen, the director of CAV.

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