Jessica Ainscough; Alycia Debnam-Carey as Milla in Netflix’s ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’.Photo:Don Arnold/WireImage ; Netflix© 2024
Don Arnold/WireImage ; Netflix© 2024
Netflix is putting a spotlight onBelle Gibson’s lies with its new seriesApple Cider Vinegar.
While several elements of the true story are dramatized for the series, many of the characters are based on real people. However, as the show notes, several names have been changed.
Though Gibson did not have a frenemy named Milla Blake in real life, the character is loosely based on a real person the influencer came into contact with.
Here’s everything to know about the real inspiration behind Milla Blake.
Who is Milla Blake based on in real life?
Jessica Ainscough.Jessica Ainscough/Instagram
Jessica Ainscough/Instagram
She quickly gained a following online as she documented her cancer journey, giving herself the nickname The Wellness Warrior, which was also the title of her blog. Through Wellness Warrior events, she would invite other celebrity wellness entrepreneurs to share their similar stories.
What happened to Jessica Ainscough?
Alycia Debnam-Carey as Milla in ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’.Netflix
Netflix
There are many other elements of Ainscough’s story that align with Milla’s on the series. Notably, her mother Sharyn Ainscough was also diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and partook in Gerson Therapy like her daughter. Her mother eventually died in October 2013, two-and-half years after her diagnosis.
Also like Milla on the series, Ainscough found love amid her cancer journey. Though he’s named Arlo on the series, Ainscough had a fiancé named Tallon Pamenter at the time of her death. After getting engaged in 2014, the two were in the middle ofplanning their weddingas her cancer worsened.
“The thing that I am most thankful to Jess for, is teaching me how to love another with all of my heart and soul,” he wrote. “We experienced something that I believe very few people ever get to experience in their lifetime… In fact many lifetimes. To say that we loved each other would simply be scratching the surface…”
In the years since Ainscough’s death, Pamenter has found love again andgotten married. He and his wife arecurrently expecting their first childtogether. He hascontinued to remember Ainscoughthrough heartfelt posts on social media.
Were Belle Gibson and Jessica Ainscough friends?
Kaitlyn Dever as Belle in ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’.Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Though the Netflix series sets them up as frenemies, in real life, Gibson and Ainscough were not friends. The bookThe Woman Who Fooled the World, which inspired the Netflix series, states that they briefly met at a conference outside of Melbourne where Gibson approached her about her Whole Pantry app.
Did Jessica Ainscough’s manager try to sabotage Belle Gibson?
Alycia Debnam-Carey as Milla, Aisha Dee as Chanelle in ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’.Courtesy of Netflix
The character of Chanelle is seemingly based on two different characters, Ainscough’s manager who disputed their friendship and Gibson’s actual friend Chanelle McAuliffe, who played a pivotal role in exposing Gibson’s lies.
As shown on the series, McAuliffe grew suspicious of Gibson and her diagnosis after the influencer had a seizure at her son’s birthday party.
“Finally, a journalist fromThe Agephoned me. I began telling him everything I knew, the little details that didn’t add up,” she explained. “The journalist began to believe that her charity claims were also fraudulent. They then confirmed with charities that they had not received any donations, so then we knew we had the story, we knew once that broke the rest would unravel.”
source: people.com
