Apple Cider Vinegar spoilers ahead.
We can't stop talking about Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar right now, a dramatised TV series adapting the true story of Belle Gibson, a health influencer who falsely claimed to cure her brain cancer through alternative treatments, and not medicine.
The series is based on The Woman Who Fooled the World, a book written by the journalists who broke the story of her hoax, Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano. Starring Unbelievable's Kaitlyn Dever, The Bold Type star Aisha Dee and Alycia Debnam-Carey, it tracks Belle's meteoric success and the ways in which her lies were discovered.
The show also draws on Belle's relationship with her partner, Clive (played by Succession star Ashley Zukerman). He is something of a quiet presence, but also undeniably is involved in both the business she builds, as well as the web of lies she constructs to build her career. On the show, he is also a very involved stepfather to Belle's son, and it seems that a huge reason why he stays with her is to protect him.
So how much of that is true to real life? We looked into Belle's IRL relationship with Clive.
Here's everything we know about the inspiration behind Milla's character.
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Were Clive Rothwell and Belle Gibson a couple in real life?
Yes. After having a child at 18 with a previous boyfriend, Belle met Clive in 2010 and began a relationship with him. Just like in Apple Cider Vinegar, he became a stepfather to Belle's son. They also went through a miscarriage as the characters did in the series, and while critics have suggested this may have been another fabrication, Belle has denied this.
He was involved with the beginnings of Belle's business The Whole Pantry – registering the domain name back in 2013, for instance – but was found to not be technically linked with her crimes.
Back in 2015, Belle spoke to Woman's Day about the aftermath, describing Clive as "supportive but obviously devastated" by the scandal.'
'He’s been very stern, along the lines of, "I just want you to acknowledge where you’ve f***ed up and not try and smooth over that,"' she added.
She also made statements about Rothwell's involvement in her businesses and how he funded much of her life. Back in 2019, it was thought that she owed Rothwell $90,000 from him covering her legal fees.
Just like in the series, it seems that a lot of Clive's motivations centred around looking out for Belle's son. In a 2024 interview with Woman's Day, Chanelle McAuliffe (who inspired Aisha Dee’s whistleblower character in the series) opened up about Clive's primary mission to look after him.
He reportedly said to Chanelle when she implored him to tell the truth about Belle's lies: “I need to protect that little boy. She’s not sick and she’ll try to destroy anyone that exposes her.”
Are Belle Gibson and Clive Rothwell together now?
By the time of Belle's trial in 2019, she said that they did not share a romantic relationship, and referred to him as a “friend”. She also confusingly said that she did not know much about what Clive did for a living. In the show, the character was an IT consultant.
They seemed to live together until around this time too, with Clive funding a month-long trip for Belle and her son to go to Africa, as well as their living expenses.
Clive was pictured with another woman back in 2023, though, with the general consensus being that he and Belle are no longer together.
He has kept a low profile since the scandal around Belle broke, and has not commented on Apple Cider Vinegar, having reportedly rejected requests for interviews since the show launched.
Introducing your latest scammer obsession.
