The Woman Who Fooled the World Audiobook By Beau Donelly, Nick Toscano cover art

The Woman Who Fooled the World

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Woman Who Fooled the World

By: Beau Donelly, Nick Toscano
Narrated by: James Saunders
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.50

Buy for $21.50

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Belle Gibson convinced the world she had healed herself from terminal brain cancer with a healthy diet. She built a global business based upon her claims. There was just one problem: she'd never had cancer.

In 2015, journalists uncovered the truth: this hero of the wellness world, with over 200,000 followers, international book deals and a best-selling smartphone app, was a fraud. She had lied about having cancer - to her family and friends, to her business partners and publishers, and to the hundreds of thousands of people, including genuine cancer survivors, who were inspired by her Instagram posts.

Written by the same multiaward-winning journalists who uncovered the details of Gibson's lies, The Woman Who Fooled the World tracks the 23-year-old's rise to fame and fall from grace. Told through interviews with the people who know her best, it unravels the mystery and motivation behind this deception and follows the public reaction to a scandal that made headlines around the world.

The Woman Who Fooled the World explores the lure of alternative cancer treatments, the cottage industry flourishing behind the wellness and 'clean eating' movements and the power of social media. It documents the devastating impact this con had on Gibson's fans and on people suffering from cancer. Ultimately, it answers not just how but why Gibson was able to fool so many.

©2017 Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano (P)2017 Audible, Ltd
Con Artists, Hoaxes & Deceptions Physical Illness & Disease True Crime
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup

Featured Article: Catch Our Grift with These Tales of Female Frauds, Scammers, and Cons


When it comes to cons of the criminal variety, women often fly under the radar. And when it comes to pulling off high-level, multifaceted schemes, women continue to be underestimated. But with enough confidence to remain undetected, female con artists, fraudsters, and grifters have scammed their way to infamy, racking up dollars, favors, and fame along the way. The stories they leave behind make for some of the most intriguing cases of all time.

Captivating Story • In-depth Account • Well-narrated Story • Fascinating Subject • Interesting Tale
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
Absolutely essential listening for anyone who has been immersed in food or nutrition culture - tells a captivating story while digging in to the wellness industry and the forces behind it

Must listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

got a little long in parts but I am fascinated by these charlatans. very sad for those she conned.

interesting tale of a shocking story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

When I get almost through a whole audiobook and realize I haven’t been aware of the narrator because I was so absorbed in the story, I knew how good he was.

Best narrator I’ve listened to in a long time

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Very well written and narrated story about social media fake health personality gone horribly wrong. Her lies harmed and mocked those who actually had life-threatening cancer.

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Thought provoking and mind boggling. In this age of “alternative facts” it’s fascinating, if unsurprising, to see the deadly ripple effect of one woman’s self delusion followed to it’s inevitable crash and burn conclusion. Science deniers take note: your willful ignorance has real world tragic consequences.

Stunning

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This deep dive into Belle's life (especially hearing about her family) provides, not pity exactly but some understanding of her as a real, yet deeply flawed person.

Through and entertaining

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The story is very interesting however too much room is taken up with discussion about cancer in general. I wanted to know more about the subject of the book.

Somewhat disappointed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I'm always amazed at how so many ppl fall for the dumbest things. she asked for money, wrote book and sold an app and without any fact checking, ppl gave it to her, sympathized and coddled her. then was "so shocked" when the truth came out...lol bunch of idiots... including apple and that publishing Co.

doesn't bother me!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Wow she could have left it at brain cancer recovery story and probably gotten away with it but she kept pushing it like an idiot. Why would you think anyone would believe you had all that cancer everywhere and still walking around. partying like nothings wrong. She wanted people to be shocked by her diagnosis and in turn donate even more. Wow how can someone be so dumb though. I cant. lol

Can you hate a story and love it too?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Well researched and well written. Does an excellent job of situating Gibson’s con within the larger context of online wellness influencers as well as other cancer cure scams.

Love the contextual content and critique of wellness influencers

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews