section_path: Admission of deceit
section_name: Admission of deceit
paragraph_text: Admission of deceit
  
  In February 2015, Gibson's close friend Chanelle McAuliffe confronted Gibson with suspicions about her cancer claims and perpetrating a scam. McAuliffe urged Gibson to come forward with the truth, but she refused. Concerned about the harm Gibson was causing to people with cancer, McAuliffe reported Gibson to the police, a lawyer and an investigative journalist; they were not willing to look into the case. Finally, journalists at The Age recognised McAuliffe as a legitimate whistleblower and broke the first story of Gibson's fraud. In March 2015, after reports identified Gibson's fraudulent claims regarding her charitable donations, media investigation found that she had also fabricated her stories of cancer and lied about her age, personal life and history. Concerns were expressed that Gibson had led a profligate lifestyle by renting an upmarket town house, leasing a luxury car and office space, undergoing cosmetic dental procedures, purchasing designer clothes and holidaying internationally. She paid these expenses from donations she received for charities.
  
  With a collapsing social media support base, Gibson admitted in an April 2015 interview that her claims of having multiple cancers had been fabricated, stating that "none of it's true". She gave an interview to The Australian Women's Weekly in which she admitted to having fabricated all her cancer claims. She attributed her deceit to her upbringing, specifically to neglect by her now- estranged mother, claiming to having been forced to take care of herself and her brother since the age of five. The interview was described as an admission of deceit, without expression of regret or apology. Gibson's Women's Weekly interview was arranged by Bespoke Approach, and Gibson was provided pro bono representation by the company during the interview.
  
  In a May 2015 interview with the same magazine, Gibson's mother, Natalie Dal-Bello, refuted several claims Gibson had made about her family, including the false claim that her brother was autistic.
  
  In February 2015, Gibson's close friend Chanelle McAuliffe confronted Gibson with suspicions about her cancer claims and perpetrating a scam. McAuliffe urged Gibson to come forward with the truth, but she refused. Concerned about the harm Gibson was causing to people with cancer, McAuliffe reported Gibson to the police, a lawyer and an investigative journalist; they were not willing to look into the case. Finally, journalists at The Age recognised McAuliffe as a legitimate whistleblower and broke the first story of Gibson's fraud. In March 2015, after reports identified Gibson's fraudulent claims regarding her charitable donations, media investigation found that she had also fabricated her stories of cancer and lied about her age, personal life and history. Concerns were expressed that Gibson had led a profligate lifestyle by renting an upmarket town house, leasing a luxury car and office space, undergoing cosmetic dental procedures, purchasing designer clothes and holidaying internationally. She paid these expenses from donations she received for charities.
  
  With a collapsing social media support base, Gibson admitted in an April 2015 interview that her claims of having multiple cancers had been fabricated, stating that "none of it's true". She gave an interview to The Australian Women's Weekly in which she admitted to having fabricated all her cancer claims. She attributed her deceit to her upbringing, specifically to neglect by her now- estranged mother, claiming to having been forced to take care of herself and her brother since the age of five. The interview was described as an admission of deceit, without expression of regret or apology. Gibson's Women's Weekly interview was arranged by Bespoke Approach, and Gibson was provided pro bono representation by the company during the interview.
  
  In a May 2015 interview with the same magazine, Gibson's mother, Natalie Dal-Bello, refuted several claims Gibson had made about her family, including the false claim that her brother was autistic.