Is Milla Blake in Netflix’s “Apple Cider Vinegar” Based on a Real Person?

Netflix’s new limited series, Apple Cider Vinegar, follows two young women, Belle and Milla, on their journeys to overcome life-threatening illnesses through health and wellness. While Belle Gibson was a real-life scammer who deceived thousands, is Milla Blake, her on-screen rival, also inspired by a real person?

The Real and the Fictionalized

Apple Cider Vinegar was created by award-winning Australian writer Samantha Strauss, who lived in Melbourne during the early 2010s when Belle Gibson’s real-life fraud took place. Based on the book The Woman Who Fooled the World by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, the series explores how wellness influencer Gibson rose to fame on social media by claiming she had cured her brain cancer without using conventional treatment.

While Gibson is a real person, some characters and events in the series have been fictionalized. One character viewers may be curious about is Milla Blake, played by Alycia Debnam-Carey. Blake is Gibson’s influencer rival who is sharing her authentic journey of treating her rare cancer through holistic dieting methods.

Milla Blake: Inspired by Jessica Ainscough

Milla Blake in Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar is not a real person. Instead, her character was inspired by multiple wellness influencers, but mainly by Jessica Ainscough, a teen magazine editor who went viral for sharing how she remained in remission from cancer without chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Like Milla, Ainscough was diagnosed in 2008 with a rare soft-tissue cancer known as Epithelioid Sarcoma. Instead of amputation, Ainscough tried to treat her cancer with an unproven method called “Gerson Therapy,” which relies on a strict diet of organic fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

She branded herself as “The Wellness Warrior” and documented her journey on a blog of the same name. Ainscough also hosted events called “Wellness Warrior Events,” where celebrity wellness entrepreneurs shared their alternative health journeys.

Tragic End and Belle Gibson’s Controversial Appearance

Sadly, Ainscough passed away in 2015 at the age of 29. While Apple Cider Vinegar depicts Belle and Milla as friends, this was not the case in real life. Gibson did, however, attend Ainscough’s funeral and caused a scene with her over-the-top displays of grief, which many found inappropriate.

Fact and Fiction Blur in “Apple Cider Vinegar”

Apple Cider Vinegar is a compelling exploration of the wellness industry, the allure of alternative medicine, and the dangers of deception. While Milla Blake is a fictional character, her story is rooted in the real-life experiences of Jessica Ainscough and other wellness influencers. The series raises important questions about the ethics of online influence, the responsibility of sharing health information, and the complexities of navigating life-threatening illnesses.