Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ follows the fictionalized version of a true scam perpetrated by Belle Gibson. The series follows her rise as a wellness guru who tells her millions of followers on social media that she was diagnosed with cancer and had only a few weeks to live, but she changed her fate by changing her diet and resorting to unconventional forms of treatment and therapy. A lot of people are roped into her lies, one of whom is Clive Rothwell, her boyfriend, partner, and father figure to her young son. Despite his arc taking significant twists and turns in the show, Clive mostly remains in the background of Belle’s story. Something similar happened in real life as well.
Clive Rothwell Reportedly Had His Doubts About Belle Gibson’s Cancer Story
While Belle Gibson’s life and crimes have been talked about in media over and over again, the truth about her relationship with Clive Rothwell still seems to be shrouded in mystery, mainly because he has chosen to stay away from the limelight all this time. In their book, ‘The Woman Who Fooled the World,’ which serves as the inspiration for the Netflix series, journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano mention sparse information about the man who continued to dodge them and their questions as they tried to get to the bottom of Belle’s scam.
According to the book, Clive hails from Adelaide, South Australia, and used to work as a consultant in the IT department for RMIT University at Melbourne’s city campus. He has been described as “quiet, withdrawn, awkward,” “very smart and very polite,” and a “doting and attentive stepfather” to Belle’s son, Oliver. During the early days of her booming business, as Belle traveled around to solidify her publishing and app deals, it was Clive who stayed at home and took care of her son. The couple also tried to have children of their own, but in 2012, Belle revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage five months into her pregnancy.
Clive has never spoken out about Belle’s scam publicly. According to Donelly and Toscano’s book, he did talk about it with some of his friends, one of whom told the journalists that Clive tried to go to medical appointments with Belle but she never let him. One day, he dropped her off at the hospital and drove around to come back and find her crossing the road and going to the park instead of the hospital. It is also claimed that his doubts about her illness were confirmed after he saw his own father struggle with cancer after his diagnosis in 2014. For a couple of months, Clive moved back to his home in Adelaide to take care of his father, who had been given only a few months to live. When he saw the disease affecting him, he started questioning Belle’s version of the story. According to one person, he referred to her illness as a “joke” at one point, and according to another close friend, he believed that Belle had a mental illness and wanted to help her through it.
Clive Rothwell’s Name Popped Up in Reference to Belle Gibson’s Finances
As Belle Gibson’s scam unraveled and legal action began, suspicions were raised about Clive Rothwell’s involvement in the whole thing. He has denied any involvement with the development and finances of The Whole Pantry and his claims haven’t been proven otherwise legally as well. Yet, he seems to have paid for everything else. Reportedly, it was he who registered and paid for the domain name of Belle’s company. Later, Belle Gibson confessed in court that she did not have the financial capacity to pay the fines imposed on her because she didn’t have any money and most of her expenses, if not all, were being paid for by Clive, whom she chose to describe as a “friend” rather than her boyfriend or fiancé.
During the court proceedings, Belle testified that she shared a house on rent in Northcote with Clive, which he paid for, and she contributed when she could. He also paid $5500 for her lawyers as she could not afford her legal fees. When asked how she vacationed in Africa when she couldn’t pay the fine, she said that Clive paid for the trip, which cost around $5000. She also revealed that she owed him a total of $90,000. When asked why he was paying for her bills if they were not romantically linked in any way, she claimed that he did it out of kindness to her. She also said that she didn’t know what Clive did for a living, saying that it wasn’t her business.
Clive Rothwell Has Parted Ways With Belle Gibson
Now in his 50s, Clive Rothwell reportedly split up with Belle Gibson around 2023. He moved into a two-bedroom apartment, with neither Belle nor her son reported to have been present with him. He was also seen hanging out with another woman, which fired up the speculations about him leaving Belle for good. When reached out for a comment on the same, he refused to talk to the press. This has been his stance since the scam was exposed, and he continues to stand by his silence even now. According to Donelly and Toscano’s book, Belle’s manager, Chanelle McAuliffe, once confronted him about the truth. She claims that he told her he needed to “protect that little boy [Belle’s son]” while adding that Belle was “not sick” and would “try to destroy anyone that exposes her.”
For their part, Donelly and Toscano repeatedly reached out to him, but every time, he gave diplomatic answers that neither confirmed nor denied any of their doubts. At one point, he even agreed to meet up with them but never showed up at the designated time and place. In 2015, Belle Gibson gave an interview to The Australian Women’s Weekly, where she said that Clive was “supportive, but obviously very devastated” with the revelation of her scam and was stern with her about taking responsibility and told her “not to smooth over” it. Clive himself, however, refused to give an interview. Thus, his true feelings and thoughts on the matter remain a mystery, and it seems he would prefer it to be so.
Read More: Natalie Dal-Bello: What Happened to Belle Gibson’s Mother?
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