Kriti Mehrotra
As a Jeffrey Walker directorial six-part drama delving deep into the rise and fall of wellness influencer Annabelle “Belle” Gibson, Netflix’s ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ can only be described as gripping. That’s because it shines a light upon not just her background but also how she came to lie about having malignant cancer and establishing a career out of it before it all burned to the ground. Amongst those to thus play a crucial role in her journey was her mother, Natalie Dal-Bello (formerly Gibson), especially since the disgraced entrepreneur eventually blamed her for all her deceits.
Natalie Dal-Bello Was Estranged From Her Daughter When the Controversy Broke
It was in the early 1990s when Natalie reportedly found herself being a single mother of two young children, all the while struggling with the chronic autoimmune disorder multiple sclerosis (MS). Neither she nor her daughter has publicly spoken much about her biological father, except for the former once stating he was practically nothing but a “sperm donor” to their small family. According to reports, Belle was born in Launceston, Tasmania, in 1991, but her mother primarily chose to raise her as well as her older brother Nick in Brisbane, Queensland, for better opportunities.
Belle actually indicated in early 2015 – once the controversy around her lying about having cancer broke out – that she didn’t have a good childhood because she was forced to grow up early. In her interview with Women’s Weekly, she attributed her lies to her upbringing, expressing she didn’t receive much love or attention in her early years owing to her mother’s MS and brother’s autism. She then went as far as to assert this led to her being forced to become the family’s primary carer at the tender age of 5, which apparently also played a part in her leaving home at age 12.
However, it was in the early 2010s that Belle and Natalie grew estranged, right around the time the former began making cancer claims and the latter tied the knot with now-husband Andrew Dal-Bello. The fact the matriarch isn’t particularly fond of social media or online communication further affected things, as she didn’t even know her daughter had become a complex national sensation. Belle’s grandmother was the one to hear about her business as well as the cancer scandal on the news, following which she informed the family, and they came to know of all her declarations.
Natalie Dal-Bello Has Denied Most of Her Daughter’s Claims
While Natalie admits she does have multiple sclerosis (MS) and that her daughter did indeed leave home at age 12, she maintains all of Belle’s other statements about her childhood are lies. In her own interview with Women’s Weekly a month after the disgraced wellness influencer’s, Natalie made it clear, “Belle never cared for me, her brother is not autistic, and she’s barely done a minute’s housework in her life. I’ve practically worked myself into an early grave to give that girl everything she wanted in life… [I paid for everything for her for years], and this is how she repays me.”
As if that’s not enough, Natalie even painted her daughter as someone who always had ideas above her station, which made her embarrassed of her family as well as unhappy with her life. According to her statements, Belle was addicted to her computer to such an extent that she used to fall asleep with it still on, but she knew it was unhealthy because online is not reality. She even expressed she was “deeply hurt and incredibly upset” about her little girl’s account of her childhood because it brought negativity to the entire family’s name as well as reputation.
Furthermore, it’s imperative to note that Natalie actually apologized on behalf of her daughter, expressing she was incredibly embarrassed by what Belle had done and how far things had gone. “She’s got to look inside her own soul,” the matriarch added, “The only way she is going to get forgiveness is to stop playing the victim card and spend the next few years doing nothing but charity work for cancer victims.” We should also mention she herself had called the magazine after her daughter’s story broke to set the record straight, during which she said Andrew was Belle’s father, but she later recanted it for good.
Natalie Dal-Bello Hoped to Reconcile With Belle Gibson
Despite Natalie’s take on her daughter’s actions, she did tell not only Women’s Weekly but also several other publications in the months to pass that would really like to reconnect with Belle. She indicated that while she doesn’t believe the family would ever be able to wholly forgive her for her actions, she does want to see her again and tell her she loves her. The mother of two even wished to guide her daughter to take responsibility for what she had done, all the while ensuring she was doing her best to take care of her own young son, Ollie.
By the time July 2015 rolled around, Natalie was maintaining this hope of reconciliation, yet she had also begun expressing how she believed people were allowed to “tell little porky pies” lies. The then 51-year-old, who had moved far from Queensland by this point, was reportedly categorizing Belle’s lies about her age, having cancer, as well as curing it through a healthy/organic diet as a “white lie.”Unfortunately, because Natalie still prefers to keep away from online platforms and Belle has also since chosen to follow a similar approach, it’s unclear whether they were able to reconnect or not.
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