Nine is asking viewers to hold their judgement over a controversial 60 Minutes interview with disgraced wellness blogger Belle Gibson, set to air this Sunday evening, after cancer sufferers and their families urged the channel to axe it arguing it was insensitive.
Complaints flooded the 60 Minutes Facebook page after a promotion for the interview with Gibson, who claimed she cured brain cancer with healthy eating and natural therapies, was posted to the show’s Facebook page yesterday afternoon.
One complaint described the interview as a “kick in the guts to cancer sufferers like myself & those families who have lost loved ones” while another described learning of Gibson’s fraud as “heartbreaking” having used her recipes and quotes to inspire a relative struggling with cancer.
A Nine spokesperson told Mumbrella the story is still set to go to air on Sunday night.
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“We will be proceeding with the story on Sunday night and we urge viewers to hold judgement until they have seen the interview that Tara Brown has done with Belle Gibson,” the spokesperson said.
The disgraced blogger launched a successful business on the back of her claims she had survived cancer through natural healing, launching The Whole Pantry smartphone app and companion cookbook, both of which have been withdrawn from sale.
Reports suggest Gibson was paid upwards of $45,000 for the one-on-one interview with Tara Brown.
A Nine spokesperson declined to comment on the rumoured fee saying “we do not comment on these matters”.
The report follows on from Gibson blaming her “troubled” childhood for the lies in an interview with The Australian Woman’s Weekly in April.
Some of the complaints against the interview from 60 Minutes’ Facebook page:
