Cookbook author who faked cancer fined £240k

An Australian cookbook author who falsely said she beat cancer through healthy eating has been fined for misleading consumers by lying about her charitable donations.

The judge had ruled in March that Belle Gibson’s deceptive claims of donating the proceeds from the sales of The Whole Pantry and a related app constituted unconscionable conduct under Australian consumer law.

The book and app were withdrawn and now Federal Court Justice Debra Mortimer has ordered Gibson to pay a total of 410,000 Australian dollars (£240,000) for five contraventions of the law relating to false claims that the proceeds would go to various charities.

The judge said that the 25-year-old author had been “cavalier about the truth”.