The mother of the disgraced wellness blogger Belle Gibson has declared people are allowed to “tell little porky pies” as she attempted a reconciliation with her daughter and grandson.

Natalie Dal-Bello defended Gibson just two months after giving a magazine interview, saying she was “deeply hurt and incredibly upset” by her daughter’s behaviour.

Her mother has now characterised Gibson’s alleged deception over claims she had cancer and used a healthy diet to cure it as a “white lie”.

“Belle told a white lie, aged 23-and-a-half. So what?” she told the Herald Sun.

“Belle is allowed to tell little porky pies. Who the hell doesn’t tell a lie in their life? Nobody complained about Belle when she was helping people and now they want to put her under the microscope.”

Gibson ran an app called the Whole Pantry and published a book under the same name which contained recipes and advice on how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Gibson claimed she had treated terminal brain cancer, among other cancers, by overhauling her lifestyle and using a health diet and alternative therapies.

The Australian published revelations Gibson had never suffered cancer earlier in the year and she has not produced proof of her alleged diagnosis though she has maintained she did have cancer while also saying she was lied to about having it.

Her book has been pulped and the app removed from the Apple store. Consumer Affairs Victoria is investigating the claims but Victoria police have ruled out charging her.

Dal-Bello, who said she was prompted to speak out after Gibson’s 60 minutes interview, said people had wanted to eat her daughter alive after turning on her like piranhas.

“It is time everyone moves on from this and allows Belle to grow and be a mother to her little boy. She should be left alone so she can get her life back on track,” she said.

Dal-Bello likened Gibson agreeing to do an interview with 60 Minutes with suicide and she had been shown to be an “absolute fool” in it.

Gibson told Australian Women’s Weekly in April that none of the claims about her cancer were true but said on 60 Minutes she was one of the people deceived.

“Once I received the definite, ‘No, you do not have cancer,’ that was something I had to come to terms with and it was really traumatising and I was feeling a huge amount of grief,” she told reporter Tara Brown.

“What, that you didn’t have cancer?” Brown asked.

“No, that I had been lied to, that I felt like I had been taken for a ride,” Gibson said.