Is Apple Cider Vinegar's Milla Blake a real person? Here's who inspired the character

21 February 2025, 22:45

Here's who inspired Apple Cider Vinegar character Milla Blake. Picture: Netflix

By Katie Louise Smith

Who is Milla Blake based on? Apple Cider Vinegar portrays her as Belle Gibson's rival but in real life, that never happened.

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Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar is a fictionalised drama series inspired by the true story of Belle Gibson and based on the book, The Woman Who Fooled the World – but what is fact and what is fiction? Is Milla Blake a real person?

Kaitlyn Dever stars as fraudulent Australian wellness influencer Belle Gibson, who is clearly based on the real life person, but there's several other characters in the show who have been created specifically for the show's narrative.

Milla Blake (played by Alycia Debnam-Carey) is another wellness influencer who features heavily throughout the show but after a quick Google, viewers have discovered that she doesn't actually exist.

So who is she in real life, and who inspired her storyline in the show? Here's what the cast and crew of Apple Cider Vinegar have revealed about Milla Blake's real life inspiration.

Read more: Where is Belle Gibson now and did she go to jail? The true story behind Apple Cider Vinegar
Read more: What happened to Belle Gibson and Clive Rothwell and are they still together?
Read more: What happened to Belle Gibson's son in real life?

Who is Apple Cider Vinegar's Milla Blake based on? Picture: Netflix

Is Apple Cider Vinegar's Milla Blake based on a real person?

Well, kind of... Milla is a fictional character who is inspired by and based on the real life Jessica Ainscough, as well as an amalgamation of other wellness influencers.

Jessica was an Australian woman who was diagnosed a sarcoma (same as Milla in the show) in 2008 at the age of 22. Much like Milla's story, it was strongly advised by doctors and medical professionals that she had her arm amputated to stop the spread of her cancer, but she opted for a holistic remedy instead (which is not scientifically proven to work).

Like Belle, she blogged about her experience using alternative therapies to fight cancer. However, unlike Belle, she was not lying about her diagnosis.

Jessica sadly passed away in 2015 at the age of 30.

Apple Cider Vinegar's Milla Blake is loosely based on Jess Ainscough and other wellness influencers. Picture: Netflix

Explaining Milla's character, creator Samantha Strauss told Tudum: "I’d say Milla is a portrait of influencers at the time. She’s someone who is desperately trying to save her own life and becomes blind to the truth because of it."

Additionally, Alycia Debnam-Carey, who plays Milla, told TODAY: "Milla is an amalgamation of wellness influencers at the time. We created Milla as her own thing. That was what was so great about it… we could boost her up so that she could be going toe-to-toe with Belle."

Read more: Here’s where to watch real life Belle Gibson’s 60 Minutes interview

Is Milla Blake a real person? Picture: Netflix

Were Belle Gibson and Milla Blake friends in real life?

Seeing as Milla does not exist, no... they were not friends in real life.

The real Belle Gibson and the real Jessica Ainscough were also reportedly not even acquaintances, so the entire storyline of them being portrayed as rivals is fictional and was created entirely for the show's narrative.