He slated the portrayal of his family in Apple Cider Vinegar
A father has spoken out against the unfair portrayal of his daughter and wife in the Netflix show Apple Cider Vinegar.
Col Ainscough from Queensland said the character based on his daughter Jessica Ainscough was inaccurate.
His daughter reportedly inspired the character Milla.
In Apple Cider Vinegar, Milla is diagnosed with Epithelioid Sarcoma just like Jessica Ainscough was in 2008.
According to The Guardian, Jessica underwent chemotherapy but it proved ineffective. Her doctors told her amputating her arm at the shoulder would be her best chance at survival, but she declined their recommendation.
Jess wrote on her Wellness Warrior blog: “I didn’t chop off my arm. I didn’t go into aggressive, full-body chemotherapy.
Jessica continued: “I didn’t accept that my doctor’s ‘solution’ was the only course of action,” she shared at the time.
She explained that she would do everything she could to “thrive in life.”
“Apple Cider Vinegar” is a based-on-a-true-story drama that takes inspiration from the experiences of Belle Gibson, a wellness influencer who lied about a cancer diagnosis. https://t.co/fbQ5o9tfSN
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 6, 2025
She said she “learned how to treat myself with absolute kindness & self-respect.”
“I radicalised my diet. I systematically detoxified my body — and mind.”
Like the character Milla, Jessica used conventional and alternative therapies to treat her cancer.
Jessica tried Gerson Therapy to treat her cancer, which relies on a diet of “organic fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to give the body plenty of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other nutrients.”
Her mother also tried Gerson Therapy following her breast cancer diagnosis.
She sadly died from breast cancer in 2013.
Jessica’s cancer became “aggressive” shortly after her mother’s death in 2013. Writing on her blog, the wellness influencer confirmed she was so ill that she was bedridden.
“When my mum became really ill, my cancer started to become aggressive again. After she died, things really started flaring up. For the past few months, I’ve been pretty much bedridden.”
Jessica passed away in February 2015. She was only 29 years old.
Her father has stressed that his daughter was not friends with Belle Gibson in real life.
He slated the Netflix show for portraying his daughter and Gibson as friends.
Her father told The Daily Telegraph:
“They have chosen to create a dramatised story in which Jess and my family are inaccurately portrayed.
“Jess and Belle Gibson were never friends. Continually linking Jess’s name to Belle is appalling. Jess doesn’t deserve her legacy to be tarnished by this.”
Netflix has stressed that Apple Cider Vinegar is a fictional show based on the lies Belle Gibson told. However, the streaming service said it is not a biopic.
