New Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar tells the story of an influencer who lied about having a terminal illness to promote alternative therapies. A decade on, it remains a warning.

Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar is a story so shocking and strange that it's difficult to believe it has any basis in reality – and yet, the show is indeed inspired by true events. Kaitlyn Dever stars in the six-part miniseries that dramatises the story of Belle Gibson,

The series, titled Apple Cider Vinegar, which premieres on February 6, traces the so-called health guru's rise to fame on social media. She amassed a large following after asserting that she had cured her own brain tumor using natural remedies and nutrition.

Apple Cider Vinegar is on its way to Netflix, and the six-episode series is based on the life of Belle Gibson.

Apple Cider Vinegar lands on Netflix next month and tells the true story of Belle Gibson, who fooled the world into thinking she had brain cancer

Crucial to that success is star Kaitlyn Dever, who has the unenviable challenge of playing Belle; an individual who could politely be described as incomprehensible. On the famously impolite internet, she has been labelled with far less flattering adjectives.

Vinegar has been used for thousands of years as a tool for pickling, food preservation, medicine and more -- and for good reason. Nowadays, due to its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, apple cider vinegar has gained popularity as both a health and home hack.

Recounting the rise and fall of Belle Gibson, an Australian snake-oil saleswoman who made a name for herself via a wellness business that was predicated on lies and fraud, Apple Cider Vinegar is another entry in the burgeoning subgenre of stories about entrepreneurial female hucksters that also includes Inventing Anna and The Dropout.