Kriti Mehrotra
With Neflix’s ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ exploring the tale of a woman who lied about having cancer to evolve into a wellness guru, we get an insight into the dark side of the influencer industry. In other words, this original production gives us the true story of Annabelle “Belle” Gibson, who managed to maintain her lies for nearly six years just to attain name, fame, as well as gain. What she seemingly never thought through was that she would have an impact on countless other lives via this, amongst whom was that of Lucy Guthrie in the Jeffrey Walker directorial.
Lucy Guthrie is Seemingly Inspired By Kate Thomas
While Lucy (portrayed by Tilda Cobham-Hervey) is a depiction of the kind of victims Belle had, she largely seems to have been inspired by a real-life cancer survivor, Katherine “Kate” Thomas Donaldson. Lucy in the show is the wife of a journalist from The Age named Justin, who takes a special interest in exposing Belle owing to his wife’s obsession with her, but the reality is much different. While Kate was indeed a manager of a local cafe where Belle often came, she was married to an insurance professional and musician by the name of Nik Donaldson. The couple had reportedly met in a bar, where her forwardness had attracted him to such an extent they soon tied the knot.
But alas, little did they know their world would turn upside down within a year. Kate was showering when she felt a lump on her breast, worrying her enough that she took a trip to the general practitioner, who immediately recommended she see a specialist. Following many tests and a few days wait, it was confirmed she had stage 3 breast cancer, and it terrified her. Nik was equally worried, so he paid close attention and knew that whenever she couldn’t sleep at night, she would doomscroll online. He also noticed when her concentration level became much more serious.
That’s when Kate had come across Bella and was reading how she had “healed” her brain cancer through diet, driving her to decide to go down the same path. The fact she often saw her at the cafe and saw how healthy she looked also played a major role in this. However, Nik soon put his foot down. He told her that while he would support whatever diet she wished to go on, he would not let her abandon years of research done in conventional medicine. He even had his mother, a nurse, talk to her about it, and they eventually decided to undergo radiation and chemotherapy.
Kate Thomas Was Heartbroken Once The Truth Came Out
Kate was extremely sick throughout her treatments, and she despised most of it, but she was thankful to have Nik and her mother-in-law by her side. After all, the latter actually traveled from her home in New Zealand to be with her during this trying time. Nevertheless, even though she still also continued working, she maintains it was a rather isolating experience since her social circle got cut down by a lot, especially as many didn’t even know what to say to her. She had found solace in Belle in these times, so the truth, which she heard while on a break at work, shattered her.
Kate admittedly burned Belle’s book page by page, believing she didn’t deserve to “go up in flames” owing to how she took advantage of others. The thought of her deceit boiled her blood, particularly as she thought of how many others she possibly affected/influenced. Kate didn’t go down the path Belle was promoting solely thanks to her family, but the thought of how many likely did and what could have happened to them overwhelmed her. Therefore, even though Lucy’s story strays away from Kate towards the end to underscore how some of Belle’s other supposed victims might have felt, the emotions behind it hold true.
Kate Thomas is Seemingly Leading a Good Life Today
Although both Kate and Nik now prefer to stay away from the limelight, it appears as if they are still based in the suburbs of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. As per ‘The Woman Who Fooled the World,’ the former has had flare-ups from time to time, but she has been fighting to the best of her abilities and with the unwavering support of her family. She and Nik were heartbroken when they learned her treatment had driven her to early menopause since they do want children one day, but they haven’t lost hope.
Since Kate had fortunately undergone one round of IVF before her ordeal, they do have the option to have biological children one day if they choose to go down this path. For Nik, the priority is Kate, and for her, the priority is leading a good, happy, healthy life. Therefore, they have seemingly since decided to take things one day at a time, and if things look up in the future, with no relapses on her end as well as their financial standing, they might think of expanding their family. However, today, it looks like they are perfectly content with just one another, plus their two adorable dogs. Honestly, we wish them the very best of luck for years to come.
Read More: Belle Gibson: Where is the Scammer Now?
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