“Apple Cider Vinegar” tells the story of Belle Gibson, the Australian influencer who faked having cancer and built a wellness app, The Whole Pantry, with the help of her ex Clive Rothwell.
In the show, Rothwell (Ashley Zukerman), an IT consultant, helps Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever) pay for programmers to build her app in the early 2010s. He also funds various flights and hotel stays so she can establish her wellness empire.
In the last episode, Rothwell knows that Gibson faked having cancer and profited from those who had the disease. He decides to stay with her and help her raise her son Oliver (Spencer Ellis Anderson) in the US, as his step father.
The Netflix series is adapted from a book about Gibson, “The Woman Who Fooled the World,” and title cards in the series describe it as a “true-ish story based on a lie.”
Some elements of Gibson and Rothwell’s relationship are faithfully adapted. In the third episode, Gibson has a miscarriage, which she briefly addressed in a 2015 interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly, where she “tearfully” denied allegations she faked it.
Here’s what happened to Rothwell in real life.
Belle Gibson called Clive Rothwell her ‘friend’ in 2019
During the 2015 interview, Gibson talked about how Rothwell reacted when he learned she lied about having cancer.
She said: “He’s been very stern, along the lines of, ‘I just want you to acknowledge where you’ve fucked up and not try and smooth over that.’”
Rothwell declined to speak to the publication.
Australian outlet The Age reported that in 2019, Gibson claimed in court that she owed Rothwell $90,000 and that they lived together in Northcote, Melbourne, with her son. She said that they “did not share a romantic relationship.”
Gibson also said she didn’t know what job he had at the time and wasn’t aware of what he earned because “that’s not my business.”
However, she said that he earned enough to give her $5,000 to take her son on a trip to Africa and $2,000 in cash to cover their accommodation costs.
Four years later, in November 2023, the Daily Mail Australia published pictures of Rothwell out in Melbourne with another woman, suggesting that he had parted ways with Gibson.
The post Belle Gibson’s partner, Clive Rothwell, helped her start The Whole Pantry app as seen in ‘Apple Cider Vinegar.’ Here’s where he is now. appeared first on Business Insider.
