Is Lucy from ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ Inspired by a Real Individual?

The series “Apple Cider Vinegar” explores the “true-ish” narrative of Belle Gibson, who claimed to have cured her brain cancer using alternative treatments, despite never having been diagnosed with cancer at all.

Other characters, such as Lucy Guthrie, draw inspiration from real-life individuals. Tilda Cobham-Hervey plays Lucy, who serves as a foil to Belle throughout the series.

In contrast to Belle, Lucy is honest about her situation—she is actually battling breast cancer and receiving chemotherapy. Inspired by Belle’s story and social media updates, Lucy finds hope in the possibility of alternative treatment options.

As the series unfolds, Lucy starts to reject conventional treatment for her breast cancer, choosing instead to adopt alternative approaches after being motivated by Belle’s narrative, despite her husband’s objections.

Samantha Strauss, the creator of “Apple Cider Vinegar,” shared with TODAY.com that Lucy represents the audience’s perspective.

“Lucy embodies us. She symbolizes the individuals who could be affected by figures like Belle,” Strauss explains.

While Lucy may be a fictional character reflecting the influence of Belle, her experience mirrors that of Kate Thomas, who provided detailed accounts to journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano for their book “The Woman Who Fooled the World,” which served as inspiration for the series.

Strauss mentions that she used Donelly and Toscano’s book as a foundational reference for the narrative of her show.

“It truly became a springboard for us,” she remarks. “I can’t say for certain what Belle actually discussed in reality; I can only speculate on her motivations. Thus, this is our fictional interpretation.”

Who is Kate Thomas?

In February 2014, Kate Thomas was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer at the age of 34.

At the time, she had been married to her husband, Nik Donaldson (who, unlike the character in “Apple Cider Vinegar,” is not an investigative journalist), for just a year. She was managing a local café and had plans to establish a dog daycare business.

However, all her plans were halted following her diagnosis. During her challenging chemotherapy treatment, she discovered and resonated with Gibson’s online posts.

“Seeing that she had navigated this journey through natural methods was uplifting,” Thomas recounted to Donelly and Toscano in “The Woman Who Fooled the World.”

“She instilled hope in those like me that maybe we could bypass such aggressive treatment. Perhaps survival was possible,” she expressed.

Thomas decided to follow in Gibson’s footsteps, focusing on nutrition, juicing, and a healthy lifestyle as her means of combating cancer.

Her husband was not supportive of this decision, resembling Lucy’s husband, Justin, in the series, as he favored conventional treatment.

“If you want to choose specific foods or go organic, that’s fine,” Donaldson told Thomas, according to Donelly and Toscano’s book. “But there is no way you’re skipping conventional medicine. You will undergo your chemotherapy and radiation as directed, because these are doctors who know cancer better than we do.”

Thomas found his response surprising, noting his typical supportiveness, yet, after discussing it with her nurse mother-in-law, she chose to continue with conventional treatment.

Throughout her treatment, Thomas managed her role at Cornerstone & Co, a small café southeast of Melbourne, similar to how Gibson frequented her café.

“She always appeared so vibrant. I often wondered, ‘How can you look so well when I’m feeling this terrible—bald, without my eyebrows or eyelashes, sunken eyes, and bloated?’ I thought I looked dreadful,” Thomas revealed to Donelly and Toscano.

Doubts about Gibson’s claims began surfacing in 2015, leading her to admit during an interview with Australia’s The Weekly that she had fabricated her cancer diagnosis that same year.

At that time, Thomas had just completed her radiation treatment.

Donelly and Toscano documented that upon seeing the news, Thomas felt “betrayed, tricked, and exploited.” Yet, she was relieved to have not been fully drawn into Gibson’s narrative and to have adhered to her doctor’s recommendations.

“I saw numerous individuals commenting that they were following her lead and avoiding conventional treatments,” Thomas recounted.

“I struggle to understand how she can live with herself,” she added. “Many were expressing, ‘You inspire me; I’m foregoing chemo. I refuse to ingest that toxic medicine; I’ll just eat healthy and pursue a juicing regimen.’ Belle must have read those comments while knowing people were forgoing essential treatment. That’s unacceptable. Vulnerable individuals will do anything to survive longer or to lessen the burden of that dreadful toxic treatment.”

Filled with outrage, Thomas shredded Gibson’s book before burning it, page by page.

After the revelations, she spotted Gibson in the café a few times but chose to avoid serving her and would leave the vicinity.

“I always made eye contact, but I couldn’t say anything. I was just so furious,” she shared with Donelly and Toscano.

Where is Kate Thomas now?

At the time this book was written, Thomas was facing Stage 3C cancer, just one stage shy of terminal Stage 4 cancer.

Nevertheless, Thomas told Donelly and Toscano, “I don’t harbor hatred for cancer; I reserve my hatred for her,” referencing Gibson.

In May 2024, Thomas informed Australia’s Geelong Advertiser that she was “cancer-free.”