The Salt Path: A Long Walk From the Truth | 202

In 2018, a previously unknown writer named Sally Walker became a literary sensation in the UK under the pseudonym Raynor Winn. Her memoir – a stirring account of walking the South West Coast Path with her terminally ill husband – struck a cultural nerve. It was gritty, inspirational, and defiantly hopeful. Readers embraced its message of resilience and redemption, and the book went on to generate more than $12 million in sales. But as “Raynor Winn’s” star rises, people from Sally’s past begin to recognize her – and question the story that made her famous. And the deeper journalists and skeptics begin to dig, the more cracks appear in Sally’s narrative. What began as an uplifting survival story becomes something far murkier – a tale about reinvention, reputation, and the fragile line between truth and storytelling. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Scamfluencers ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:07Scaachi Koul?

  Sarah, I know you're a big reader, but have you ever read an inspiring memoir of human perseverance and thought, "I don't know if all that actually happened"?

• 0:18Sarah Hagi?

  Um, well, thank you for calling me a big reader, first of all, because-

• 0:23Scaachi Koul?

  In public?

• 0:24Sarah Hagi?

  I am. And yeah, I think I definitely have. And one of them was A Million Little Pieces, famously Oprah's book club pick that was debunked. And I remember reading it as a teenager and being like, "Guess this is how life is." And also, go ask Alice.

• 0:42Scaachi Koul?

  That was a seminal one for our age group.

• 0:45Sarah Hagi?

  And not true at all.

• 0:47Scaachi Koul?

  Well, I kind of feel that way anytime anyone talks about like climbing up a mountain. Like, you didn't prove it, loser.

• 0:54Sarah Hagi?

  I agree. I mean, I'll take your word for it, but doesn't sound like you did all that.

• 0:59Scaachi Koul?

  Well, I ask because today I have a really delicious merger of some of our niche interests: literary frauds, financial scams, and someone pretending they're more noble than they actually are.

• 1:15Scaachi Koul?

  It's September 2024. An actress, Gillian Anderson, is walking the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival for the world premiere of her newest movie, The Salt Path. Gillian looks glamorous. Her blonde hair is blown out, and her chic black dress is covered in sequins. She's known for playing meticulously put-together characters like Dana Scully in The X-Files or Margaret Thatcher in The Crown. But in this movie, she's doing something completely different. She's playing a woman who's broke and living in a tent along the coast of Wales. The Salt Path is based on the memoir of a woman named Rayner Nguyen. It tells the inspiring true story of the hardships she and her husband faced together. Their lives were upended in 2013,

• 1:59Scaachi Koul?

  when a bad investment led to them losing their home. Then they were hit with another devastating blow. Rayner's husband, Moth, was diagnosed with a rare terminal brain disease. Overwhelmed with grief, the couple, who were in their early 50s, made a radical decision. They would walk a famous 630-mile trail across England. They camped their way up the coast, using the journey to reconnect with nature and with each other. And incredibly, the walk ended up alleviating many of Moth's symptoms and possibly even prolonging his life expectancy. Rayner's memoir about their experience became an instant bestseller. And now, more than a decade later, it's finally been adapted for the big screen.

• 2:43Scaachi Koul?

  At the festival, Gillian gushes to the press about her movie husband, Jason Isaacs. And she looks genuinely proud as she tells reporters how honored they feel to portray such a resilient couple on screen. Here's how Gillian describes the story's universal appeal to red carpet news.

• 3:00Speaker 02

  It speaks to a state that pretty much anybody, anywhere, can find themselves in. The injustice of it was so clear from the beginning of the story. And so, it seems so unfathomable. How could you survive that for any extended period of time? So I think that a lot of people will find a lot of compassion for their journey.

• 3:21Scaachi Koul?

  Gillian was so moved by the book that she jumped at the chance to play Rayner. To prepare for the role, she grew close to the real-life Rayner and Moth. She's amazed by how much their lives have changed. Just over a decade ago, they were homeless and struggling. Now, they're minor celebrities in the UK. The Salt Path has become a source of inspiration, especially for people living with terminal diagnosis like Moth's. Gillian hopes the film can do the same. Eight months after its Toronto premiere, the movie is released in the UK. It's a smash hit, and reviews are good. It's the kind of rich, moving role that might even generate a words buzz.

• 4:00Sarah Hagi?

  You know, I always wonder this as someone who's, you know, like, reviewed films and gone to festivals. It seems that actors are so drawn to these biopic-type roles of struggles because it's like, it could be such a slam dunk for Oscar contention.

• 4:17Scaachi Koul?

  Yes, exactly. But a little more than a month later, everything changes. A report published in The Observer reveals troubling details about Rayner and Moth's past that throws their entire story into question. The reason they lost their home, Moth's illness, even their names? Suddenly, nothing is certain. Gillian is shaken. Not only does this cast a shadow over Rayner and her memoir, it puts the future of the film in jeopardy. The salt path still doesn't have a North American distribution deal. Will studios want to back a movie whose source material might be built on lies? Will audiences want to watch? What once felt like a dream role has become a major headache. But while Gillian will ultimately be fine,

• 5:02Scaachi Koul?

  she's already moved on to a TV western. The real-life couple at the center of the story won't be able to walk away so easily.

• 5:15Speaker 03

  If you like YouTube, you'll love YouTube Premium. It's destroying athlete, creator, and YouTube Maxer. YouTube Premium enhances how I use YouTube with awesome features like offline downloads, so I can download my favorite training videos before I hit the gym. So no Wi-Fi doesn't turn leg day into loading day. Plus, I get ad-free videos, background play, and so much more. YouTube Premium is like YouTube got some extra gains. Try YouTube Premium for two months free at youtube.com/premium.

• 5:45Speaker 04

  Hey, what's up, guys? It's Haley Bailey. Okay, I need to tell you about something. I just got YouTube Premium. It's got tons of awesome features like offline downloads, so I can download my favorite videos before I travel and watch them whenever I don't have Wi-Fi. Because we all know airplane Wi-Fi is the worst. I get ad-free, I get background play, and there's like a ton more in there. You should try it. If you like YouTube, you'll love YouTube Premium. So try YouTube Premium for two months free at youtube.com/premium. Trial eligibility varies. Terms apply. Cancel anytime. That's a mouthful.

• 6:15Speaker 05

  Confidence, it's listening to your gut. It's moving forward even when the path ahead is unclear. For nearly 160 years, Pacific Life has helped people keep their promises, building confidence for generations. Whether you're confident in your financial future or just beginning to envision it, we're here to help. Ask a financial professional how. Pacific Life, the power of a promise. Pacific Life Insurance Company, Omaha, Nebraska, and in New York, Pacific Life Annuity, Phoenix, Arizona.

• 6:48Scaachi Koul?

  From Wondery, I'm Saatchi Cole. And I'm Sarah Hagee. And this is Scamfluencers.

• 7:01Scaachi Koul?

  In 2018, a woman named Sally Walker published an instant bestseller and became a literary sensation in the UK. She wrote under the pseudonym Raynor Nguyen. But Sally wasn't just selling books. She was selling hope. The idea that by forging a deep connection to the natural world, anyone could overcome impossible odds. Her story of grit, optimism, and survival earned her acclaim and more than $12 million in book sales. But the more Sally's star rose, the more people from her past began to recognize her and question the story that made her famous. And as the truth starts to surface, everything about her incredible story comes under scrutiny.

• 7:43Scaachi Koul?

  Sally convinced the world that she was a victim of unfair circumstances, but the truth is far more complicated. And the fallout proves that an inspiring narrative means nothing when it's built on false hope. This is The Salt Path: A Long Walk From the Truth.

• 8:07Scaachi Koul?

  It's 2001 in the rural countryside in the north of Wales. Forty-year-old Sally Walker swings open a wooden gate and walks towards her farmhouse, a modest, one-story building surrounded by thick brush and trees.

• 8:21Scaachi Koul?

  Sally has long blond hair, blue eyes, and is wearing loose, flowy clothing. When she and her husband moved here a decade ago, the home was barely livable. They had to rebuild walls, install plumbing, and piece it together stone by stone, doing everything themselves to save money. And while the ancient house still isn't perfect, like the spot where the roof is caving in, she wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Sally was born in 1962 and grew up on a farm in England. As a kid, she spent most of her time reading and playing in nature. She dreamed of becoming a writer and fantasized about seeing a little penguin logo on the spine of her own book someday. But like many people with literary dreams, Sally had to take far less glamorous jobs to pay her bills.

• 9:06Scaachi Koul?

  These days, she's working as a bookkeeper at a local hotel. She's not particularly passionate about it, but she's grateful to have a job that helps support her family. Sally met her husband, Tim, in college almost 20 years ago. Back then, they bonded over their shared love of adventure and the outdoors. We have a photo of them hiking in their 20s. Sarah, can you describe it?

• 9:28Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah, I mean, they look really cool. You know, they're young. They're on a very rocky, steep-looking mountain, I guess. And it's funny, because Tim is wearing hiking boots, but he is wearing a blazer and some type of ascot. And Sally looks more like she's ready to hike. But you know what? Back then, they didn't have gear. They were just wearing whatever.

• 9:53Scaachi Koul?

  It's so British.

• 9:54Sarah Hagi?

  But they are like a cool-looking couple. Like, this could be hipsters today.

• 9:59Scaachi Koul?

  It looks like they're going to go to a Talking Heads show.

• 10:01Sarah Hagi?

  Yes.

• 10:01Scaachi Koul?

  On a mountain. Well, after college, they settled down quickly and had two kids, who now get to grow up in the countryside, just like Sally did. But today, Sally is feeling down as she pushes the farmhouse door open and greets Tim in the kitchen. He's tall, with swept-back hair and a short, white beard. His face falls when she tells him she's being let go from her bookkeeping job. Even though it wasn't her dream job, losing it is a big stressor. Tim works for a conservation charity called the National Trust, but his income isn't enough to pay their mortgage and support their family. Plus, jobs are hard to come by in such a rural area. But today, Sally is in luck, because Tim happens to know about a job opening.

• 10:46Scaachi Koul?

  One of his colleagues, Roz Hemmings, has the perfect opportunity for Sally. Her husband runs a small business and his bookkeeper is retiring. To Sally, it feels like everything is falling back into place. She gratefully accepts the job. Right now, Sally's life is the epitome of cozy. She's got a loving family, her dream farmhouse, and a life surrounded by nature. But this brush with unemployment might have rattled something deeper. Because before long, Sally will want more security. And to get it, she'll betray the trust of the people who tried to help her.

• 11:23Scaachi Koul?

  It's 2008 in North Wales, about seven years after Sally started her new bookkeeping job. Roz Hemmings, the woman who got her this gig, is leafing through bank statements, squinting as she skims the numbers. Roz is in her late 50s and has short, feathery blond hair, blue eyes, and wire-rimmed glasses. Her husband, Martin, groans beside her in frustration. Martin runs a small real estate agency and property surveying business. And he is constantly working. He's extremely devoted to his business, but he's not a micromanager. Martin trusts his employees and treats them like family, which is why he's so distressed that, for the last few years, the business has been struggling.

• 12:06Scaachi Koul?

  The financial issue started a few years ago, just after Sally was hired. At first, Roz didn't think much of it. Running a small business is hard, and she assumes her husband is just bad at invoicing. But Martin is reaching a breaking point. Even though he's working harder than ever, his money woes just keep mounting. He's convinced something is wrong. So he brought the books home, and Roz agreed to help him look through them. Soon, Martin's eyes grow wide. He found something. Money that Sally was supposed to deposit into the company bank account is missing. Over the last few months, around £9,000 just disappeared.

• 12:46Sarah Hagi?

  You know, bookkeepers in our stories play one of two roles where they are the ones uncovering financial scam, and they do it pretty quickly because they're good at their jobs. Or they see the holes and take advantage of a situation where they can maybe make a lot of money. And I wonder where this one is going.

• 13:06Scaachi Koul?

  Okay, well, the show is called Scamfluencers. Well, Martin is hurt by Sally's seeming theft, but Roz is livid. She recommended Sally and put her trust in her. The couple files a police report, and then they confront Sally directly. A few days later, she shows up at their house with a cheque for the amount that she's stolen. Here's how Roz later describes this interaction to The Observer.

• 13:31Speaker 06

  Sally appeared at my house holding a cheque. And she said, it was for several thousands. And she said, this is all money we have. And I've had to sell some of my mother's things to raise this money.

• 13:45Sarah Hagi?

  You know, if this is what happened, I do think it's very generous for someone to give the alleged thief a chance to repay them. And it's just so insane to me that someone could then kind of flip it around and be indignant and then turn themselves into the victim of the situation they created.

• 14:03Scaachi Koul?

  Yes, exactly. This isn't moving Roz. She says Sally just keeps talking about how hard it is for her to cough up the money without acknowledging that she's not the victim here. So Roz and Martin do the only thing they can. They go back through years of financial records to see if anything else is missing. Roz later calls this the, quote, "most soul-destroying thing I've ever done." They discover falsified invoices and forged cheques and allege that, in total, Sally had pocketed around £64,000. It's worth noting that Sally has since disputed many of the claims against her. The ordeal takes a big emotional toll on Martin. He's always been open and trusting,

• 14:47Scaachi Koul?

  but this experience has destroyed his faith in others. Roz and Martin are shaken by the new revelations, and this time Sally's going to have to take drastic measures to make things right.

• 15:00Scaachi Koul?

  It's 2008, a few weeks after Sally's boss confronted her about the missing money. Things at the farmhouse are finally starting to settle down again, but that won't last long. As she puts the kettle on in the kitchen, she hears a knock at the front door. Sally opens it to find the police on her doorstep, and she starts panicking as she realizes what likely happened. The Hemmings went back through all of their books. The police tell Sally that she's under arrest, and she agrees to go to the station for questioning. At the station, Sally is cooperative. We don't know what exactly she tells investigators, but she might have told them that she stole because times have been tough. The 2008 financial crisis has added immense financial pressure for everyone.

• 15:44Scaachi Koul?

  Her kids are going off to university. Plus, she and Tim have spent the last year struggling with a new challenge. Tim has severe and debilitating nerve pain in his upper body. Despite endless doctor visits, they haven't found a cause or a cure. The interviewing officer sigh. While they're sympathetic to Sally's struggles, stealing is still a crime. Plus, the money started disappearing well before the 2008 crash. Sally is sent home for the night and agrees to report back to the police station the next morning. Sally knows she's in trouble. She's worried about what will happen if she goes back, so instead, she flees to London. Tim has a rich distant relative there, and Sally is convinced that he might be able to help.

• 16:29Scaachi Koul?

  She shows up on the relative's doorstep and explains the situation. She says she's facing criminal prosecution for stealing from her employer, and she's worried about going to prison. She says she made a mistake trying to support her family and asks for help. To Sally's relief, he agrees. He offers her enough to repay her employer, plus whatever she needs to hire a good lawyer who can help settle the matter out of court. In total, he lends her £100,000. It's possible that he's doing all of this out of kindness, but it also seems like he's trying to make a buck, because the terms are steep. The loan comes with an annual interest rate of 18%.

• 17:09Sarah Hagi?

  That is honestly really crazy and personally, I believe a bit unfair. Like, if you want to get any money back, you have to set the terms to be realistic, in my opinion.

• 17:19Scaachi Koul?

  This is a bad deal.

• 17:20Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah.

• 17:20Scaachi Koul?

  For everybody. Well, Sally doesn't know how she'll pay him back, but she's desperate, so she agrees to his terms. Maybe staying out of prison feels like it's worth any future cost. And we don't know exactly what Tim thinks about all of this. We can only guess that, back at home and dealing with chronic pain, he likely supports whatever Sally needs to do to stay out of jail. Sally's new lawyer immediately calls her former boss, Martin Hemmings, with a proposal. Sally will repay everything immediately. All Martin has to do is sign a document agreeing not to pursue legal action against Sally, as well as an NDA.

• 17:57Sarah Hagi?

  That's pretty smart. I think that's a smart thing to do if you get in trouble. And you know what? Rich people do it all the freaking time. It's about time a regular person does that, you know?

• 18:09Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, we need more, um, citizen NDAs.

• 18:11Sarah Hagi?

  Yes, I agree. I mean, if you pay it all back, I don't know, in some respect, why it should hang over you forever, you know?

• 18:18Scaachi Koul?

  Exactly. They're betting that Martin just wants this nightmare to be over. And they're right. Sally is flooded with relief when he signs the papers. For now, this matter has been swept under the rug, or kicked down the road, because soon enough, that loan will come due. And eventually, Sally will need a new plan to pay what she owes. But next time, she won't just dodge accountability, she'll launch her strangest scam yet. It's 2012, four years after Sally borrowed the money that kept her out of prison. Sally and Tim are in their farmhouse in Wales, hatching a new plan to pay off their debt, because they still haven't paid back the loan, and the clock is ticking.

• 19:00Scaachi Koul?

  Not long after Sally borrowed the money, Tim's relative in London had to shut down his company. As part of this process, Sally's debt was transferred to two men he owed money to. And these men wanted Sally to immediately return the £100,000 with interest. By now, she owes roughly £150,000. And when Sally couldn't pay, they took her to court. About two months ago, the court reached its conclusion. Sally needs to repay the money as soon as possible. If she doesn't, the bank will repossess the farmhouse that she loves so much.

• 19:35Sarah Hagi?

  I just don't think that's 100% fair. This is one person. She's not like a corporation. She did something crazy. I don't know. I just think 150,000 is a bit much.

• 19:47Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, I mean, it's a harsh situation, even though she got herself into it. And now Sally has two choices. Find a staggering sum of money or lose her home. Sally can't imagine life without the farmhouse. She and Tim rebuilt it together, and it's where they raise their children. She pictured growing old in that house. And the farmhouse has more than just sentimental value. Lately, it's also been their main source of income. They rent out a barn in the back to travelers. Aside from that, they're trying to survive on the 48-pound weekly tax credit they receive from the government. Sally hasn't been able to find work since settling with the Hemmings, and Tim can no longer work at all. His debilitating nerve pain has worsened over the past five years.

• 20:32Scaachi Koul?

  And despite visits to countless doctors and specialists, there's still no diagnosis. So Sally and Tim hatch a new plan. They decide to launch a publishing company because indie publishing companies are a famously sound financial model.

• 20:48Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah, you know, I was being very generous with these people up until this point.

• 20:52Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah.

• 20:53Sarah Hagi?

  Hmm, OK. So people who start publishing companies come from generational wealth, and it's their hobby. You don't start one to make money in any... This is the worst possible idea. They may as well be panhandling.

• 21:09Scaachi Koul?

  You'd spend less money that way.

• 21:11Sarah Hagi?

  Yes.

• 21:13Scaachi Koul?

  Well, they call the imprint Gangani Publishing, and their first book is a novel by an unknown Welsh writer, reportedly Sally herself, writing under a pen name. In the book, a young couple moves to a farmhouse in Wales, and the protagonist gets a job with a property surveyor and estate agent. She steals from them, is arrested, flees to London, and borrows money to pay them back. But as a part of the bargain, she has to give up her house. But it's OK, because the protagonist has learned that a home is not a physical place. It's her husband. Sarah, does this sound familiar?

• 21:48Sarah Hagi?

  It does sound pretty familiar. Hey, listen, all great writers draw inspiration from real-life events.

• 21:56Sarah Hagi?

  That's true. We should know.

• 21:59Scaachi Koul?

  While the novel is released in August of 2012, and Sally and Tim add a bold marketing ploy. For every copy purchased, readers will be entered in a lottery to win their house, the very farmhouse Sally and Tim are currently living in, and which the bank is planning to repossess. Oh, and they still have a £230,000 mortgage on it, too. We actually have screenshots of how they advertise this on their official website. Here, take a look.

• 22:26Sarah Hagi?

  So this is kind of an old-looking website. Makes sense. This was the past. And, you know, I can't really tell what the background is. It's kind of gray, and there's three big images. One is, "Win this ancient farmhouse in the Gangani Publishing. Free prize draw." Then there's another thing to click on that says, "Win this stunning property. Click here for details." This is the kind of thing you see when you're about to get, like, before a phishing scam, before you get hacked, before you get a big virus on your computer.

• 22:55Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah. The website also says that only 250,000 copies will be released, so hurry, they're selling fast.

• 23:02Sarah Hagi?

  Oh, god.

• 23:05Scaachi Koul?

  It's unclear what exactly their thinking was. Maybe they never actually intended to name a winner. Maybe they wanted to offload the house and its problems onto someone else. Or maybe they thought they'd just make so much money from this promotion that they could afford to upgrade to a bigger, nicer home. Either way, the book only has two reviews on Goodreads, so they probably didn't get many entries. This ends up being the only book Gangani ever publishes, and it quietly disappears afterwards. No raffle winner is ever announced. It seems like the Walkers are still in the red. Once again, Sally's dream of keeping her home, of becoming a writer, collapses. And when the consequences finally catch up to her,

• 23:48Scaachi Koul?

  the Walkers will be left with no choice but to fly the coop.

• 23:57Speaker 06

  A dark night, a quiet house, but inside, danger was lurking.

• 24:01Speaker 04

  Oh, we have Xfinity Shield. Its built-in Wi-Fi feature detects movement without cameras.

• 24:06Speaker 06

  What she didn't know is that online, there lurked an even bigger...

• 24:10Speaker 04

  Xfinity Cyber Secure protects us from digital threats, too.

• 24:13Speaker 06

  I should have stuck to rom-coms.

• 24:15Scaachi Koul?

  What if protecting your home and devices could be drama-free? Introducing Xfinity Shield. Visit Xfinity.com/shield to learn more. Xfinity. Imagine that. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Xfinity Internet and compatible equipment required.

• 24:27Speaker 05

  Ghosts aren't real. At least, that's what journalist Tristan Redmond always believed. Sure, odd things happen in his childhood bedroom, but ultimately, he shrugged them off. Until he discovered that he wasn't alone, that everyone who lived thereafter him also had bizarre experiences they couldn't explain. And it gets even weirder. It just so happens that his wife's great-grandmother was murdered in the house next door. Is this ghost somehow connected to her murder? He decides to go where no son-in-law should, digging up a cold case and asking questions that nobody wants answered. Like, could his wife's great-grandfather have gotten away with the perfect crime? This is a podcast about family secrets, overwhelming coincidence,

• 25:10Speaker 05

  and the things that come back to haunt us. For the best bingeable series like Ghost Story, listen to the Audible True Crime Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can get all episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.

• 25:37Scaachi Koul?

  It's the summer of 2013, about a year after Sally and Tim published the novel they hoped would save them. The couple is sitting in their farmhouse, packing all their belongings into boxes.

• 25:48Scaachi Koul?

  It's been a hard few weeks. Their home is officially getting repossessed. And Tim finally got a diagnosis for his worsening health problems. He's been diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration, or CBD. It's a rare condition related to Parkinson's that causes problems with memory, movement, and mobility. On average, people live six to eight years after their first symptoms appear. And Tim's symptoms started six years ago. On good days, he's in pain. But on bad days, he can't even move his limbs. The good news is that the onset has been slow. So Tim might have a few more years left. But between losing their home and getting a terminal diagnosis, Sally has never been lower. And it's made worse by the fact that they have nowhere to go. They're not able to rent an apartment.

• 26:33Scaachi Koul?

  Their credit ratings are horrible. And landlords aren't interested in renting to people who've had their home repossessed. Both of their children are now in university and living on student budget. So they aren't in a position to help either.

• 26:47Scaachi Koul?

  As she packs up books, Sally notices one that she loved in her twenties. It's called 500 Mile Walkies. And it's about a man who walked the southwest coast path with his dog. The path has existed since the 70s. It's England's longest trail, stretching 630 miles across the British coast. The path attracts a lot of tourists, although most people only take on small sections at a time. Here's how Sally describes this moment, years later, to the BBC.

• 27:14Speaker 02

  I spotted a book in a packing case. That someone had written about walking the southwest coastal path. And just in that moment, it seemed as if that book offered us a way forward.

• 27:26Scaachi Koul?

  Seeing the book inspires Sally. She turns to Tim, who's sitting on the floor next to her, and suggests a crazy idea to distract them from their current situation. What if we just walked?

• 27:38Sarah Hagi?

  I can see how that's appealing in this type of situation where it's kind of like, nothing to lose here. Let's just see what would happen if we decided to take on this feat. I mean, it's a bit shocking only because of his health condition, but I understand the need to connect with nature during a rough time.

• 27:55Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah. And remember, the couple initially fell in love through their joint passion for hiking and walking. Of course, that was when they were much younger. They're in their 50s now, and Tim's health is a concern. He's in constant pain, even with regular physical therapy. But once the idea's in Sally's head, she has a hard time shaking it. They have nowhere else to go and nothing to do. So why not see if reconnecting with nature helps? After all, they're literally the Walkers, and it would be a shame not to live up to their name. So, in early August, they set out, carrying only the essentials: backpacks, clothing, hiking gear, and the tent that they'll sleep in. They pack up

• 28:36Scaachi Koul?

  their savings, 115 pounds in cash, and a bank card so that they can withdraw the 48 pounds a week they receive from the government. As they make their way to the start of the trail, they look out at the gorgeous coastal views and the long path that stretches ahead. They hoist their backpacks onto their shoulders. It's time to walk. Sally and Tim walk for months, covering around 300 miles of ground. Despite their hardships, this is a healing and even spiritual journey. And against all odds, Tim's condition improves, despite the fact that he's not seeing doctors or receiving traditional treatment. But as winter approaches, the sun starts setting earlier and the weather worsens. It becomes

• 29:18Scaachi Koul?

  too difficult for Tim to be out in the cold, so the couple takes a break and stays in a friend's shed. And as soon as they stop walking, Tim's condition worsens. He knows he doesn't have long to live, but he feels great, so long as he's walking. Here's how Sally describes it in an interview with the Edinburgh Book Festival. That walk had really changed his health in ways that we'd thought were just impossible because we'd been

• 29:43Sarah Hagi?

  I'm told it was just a one-way downhill street. There was no way back.

• 29:49Sarah Hagi?

  You know, I do believe that people can recover from illness in ways that doctors can't predict and that there can be some type of miracles. But if this happened, it is like one of the craziest recoveries of any person.

• 30:05Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, it would be.

• 30:06Sarah Hagi?

  Like, it's just, it's so crazy.

• 30:08Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah. When spring comes, the walkers set back down the beautiful sloping coastal path. And on a cool day in August 2014, about a year after they first set out, Sally and Tim sit on a bench and enjoy the view. They can't believe how far they've come. They've walked more than 600 miles. After just one more day of walking, they'll finish the entire path. It's an emotional day for both of them. Tim is amazed by how much better he's doing health-wise, but it's bittersweet, too, because they're not sure what comes next. Just then, a woman sees them sitting with their rucksacks and asks where they're headed. They get to talking, and Sally explains her circumstances. Unlike some people they've met, this woman doesn't recoil when she learns they're homeless.

• 30:53Scaachi Koul?

  Instead, she's sympathetic and kind. She mentions that she has a flat nearby. The current tenants are about to move out, so Sally and Tim could rent it if they want. It feels like fate.

• 31:05Sarah Hagi?

  Huh, that's honestly really kind. And regardless of what is actually maybe happening to these people, I think it's a kindness they probably needed.

• 31:16Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, it is really nice. And at long last, the couple is full of hope again. With a place to live, Tim is so full of renewed energy, he even decides to return to university to study horticulture. He may not live long enough to finish his degree or pay off his student loans, but Sally supports him wholeheartedly. If her husband's dying dream is to get another degree, she's on board. A year after setting out on their long hike, Sally and Tim have a new place to live and a renewed lease on life. And soon, Sally will start sharing their story. But while their walk truly is a story of resilience, she wants to be a sympathetic narrator. And that means coming up with a new explanation for how they got here in the first place.

• 32:03Scaachi Koul?

  It's the spring of 2017, and Sally is sitting at her computer in the apartment she and Tim moved into at the end of their long walk three years ago. It's a little flat in a chapel, and they've been happy here. Sally's been spending her days writing, and Tim has been going to school. But now that they're no longer walking, Tim's condition is on a downturn. Worst of all, his memory is starting to fail, and he worries he soon won't be able to remember the best parts of his life with Sally and their kids. During their year of walking, Sally took notes to look back on. As a gift to Tim, she typed them up and turned them into a full-length book, a tool to help him remember that chapter of their lives. But recently, their daughter read the book and insisted Sally should try to publish it. She thinks readers could get

• 32:47Scaachi Koul?

  a lot out of their journey. It's a possibility that excites Sally. She's always dreamed of being a writer, and now she has a story to tell.

• 32:56Sarah Hagi?

  Ooh, this does not sit well with me. If I were to assume all this is completely true, it just seems so exploitative of something they don't fully understand in a way.

• 33:08Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, it seems a little weird, doesn't it?

• 33:10Sarah Hagi?

  It's weird. It's icky. It's not right.

• 33:13Scaachi Koul?

  Well, instead of using her real name, Sally gives herself a pseudonym: Raynor Winn. Raynor is a family name she's always loved, and Winn is her maiden name. As for Timothy, she shortens his name to Muff, which I guess is one alternative to Tim. And though we don't know why she used fake names, it could be to shield her identity from people who know the whole story, like Roz Hemmings.

• 33:37Sarah Hagi?

  Eh, and I whoop.

• 33:40Scaachi Koul?

  Sally struggles to sell the book, which was then titled "Lightly Salted Blackberries." But she finally gets a lucky break when an editor at The Big Issue, a UK newspaper, agrees to publish an excerpt. It's a moving chapter about her and Tim's experience with homelessness and how people treated them during their walk. And as soon as it's published, it's a hit. Sally gets countless emails from readers who love the story and a prominent literary agent in London who wants to represent her. Soon, they're sending out feelers to major publishers. In the book, Raynor is the sympathetic lead of a compelling, heart-wrenching story. She frames herself and Tim as victims of circumstance. She says they lost their house due to a business deal gone wrong with an old friend who screwed them over.

• 34:25Sarah Hagi?

  All right. Well, you see here, this is exactly why all of it is so strange. It's so unnecessary to change the story about how they lost their home. Like, all this could have happened, and they lost their home in bad circumstances, and it would have just made for a more complicated, nuanced story, in my opinion.

• 34:43Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, that's exactly it. Sally's story was pretty compelling and meaningful without these edits. The Salt Path could have been a story about the way debt can take over your life, reckoning with past actions, and the struggles of losing your home as your loved one falls ill. But Sally insists on being the perfect protagonist. As a little girl, Sally always dreamed of having a book published by Penguin. And soon, that dream will be realized. Only, it's not quite her name, and not quite her story. And the bigger her book's audience, the more people from her past will start to recognize her. It's 2018, and Bill Cole is perusing a bookshelf with the illustrated cover for a new memoir,

• 35:27Scaachi Koul?

  The Salt Path, catches his eye. Bill is in his early 50s, with gray flecked hair and a white beard. As he reads the story of Raynor and Moth, he's deeply moved. Their story feels painfully familiar. Bill has also been betrayed by a close friend, and his wife has been diagnosed with cancer. Bill isn't the only one who connects with the story. The Salt Path is an immediate hit. It spent 102 weeks on the Sunday Times Bestseller list and will go on to sell more than 2 million copies all over the world. It's eventually shortlisted for literary awards and translated into 14 languages. But Bill feels a particular pull towards Raynor and Moth. A few years earlier, he bought a farm in Cornwall, hoping to one day restore it to

• 36:12Scaachi Koul?

  its wild, natural state. With his wife's illness, though, they've had to stay near the city and her doctors. Now, reading The Salt Path, he wonders if he's found the right people to help bring his dream to life. So, Bill reaches out to Raynor on Twitter and sends a message. Would she and Moth like to live on his farm, help fix up the home, and care for the land? Raynor accepts, and she and Moth move in.

• 36:39Scaachi Koul?

  Bill is happy to help. Over the next couple of years, he stays in touch with the couple as they go on more walks, this time in Iceland and the Scottish Highlands. Rayner publishes another memoir, The Wild Silence, about the couple's rocky return to normal life after walking the trail and the death of her mother. Bill appears in the book as a city banker whose generosity, quote, "changes everything." This book also becomes a bestseller. There are some things Bill wishes were happening on the farm, like tending to the orchards or making cider, but he's happy knowing he's helping one of England's most famous literary couples.

• 37:16Sarah Hagi?

  Oh my God, this is so classic. Like, two people with clout, like, someone who wants to be a part of something, being like, "Come on, live here. I'll help you out, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." And them, obviously, not really doing anything on the farm like they're supposed to. Because you know what? At worst, they are big liars, and at best, they are huge fame whores.

• 37:42Scaachi Koul?

  Yes, exactly. But then, in October 2021, Bill makes one of his frequent trips out to the farm, and Moth gives him devastating news. He says doctors have told him his condition is deteriorating fast. Moth says he's been given until the end of the year. Bill is devastated. But as the months pass, Moth seems to be doing OK. He's alive for the release of Rayner's third book, another memoir called Landlines, in September 2022. But when Bill reads the book, he's confused. In it, Rayner writes about returning home from their Highland hike and getting a miraculous scan of Moth's brain, showing incredible improvement. But that's right around the time Moth told Bill he only had weeks to live.

• 38:27Scaachi Koul?

  Not only do the stories seem to contradict, Bill is hurt that his friends wouldn't share such great medical news with him. He texts Rayner, but she never addresses the confusion around Moth's medical condition. Then, a few weeks later, a celebrity chef arrives at the farm to film a special featuring Rayner and Moth showing off their cider-making process, even though they haven't been producing any cider that Bill can sell. Not long after that, the couple suddenly move out with one more year left on their lease. After that, Bill hardly hears from them.

• 38:59Sarah Hagi?

  Oh my God, of course. I feel like these people have a lot of opportunities to make things right. You know what I mean? Where it's like, now you're dealing with some real generosity of someone who can actually really help you, and you're still doing this? You're still just being so disappointing.

• 39:18Scaachi Koul?

  Well, Bill later tells The Observer that he feels gaslit by the couple. He's left questioning how well he ever really knew two people he considered friends. And Bill isn't the only one starting to ask questions about Rayner and Moth's story. Soon, other people from their past will step forward, ready to separate fact from fiction.

• 39:40Scaachi Koul?

  It's 2025, and journalist Khloe Hajamathay is sitting in her office. She has a blunt bob and a gray streak with dark lipstick. And she's just received an interesting tip about celebrated memoirist Rayner Wynn. The source claims that Rayner's now-famous story doesn't add up. At first, Khloe thinks this accusation might be rooted in jealousy. After all, The Salt Path has been a major success. There's renewed media attention now because the book is being adapted into a movie starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs as the Winds. Rayner is once again doing constant press tours and interviews, sometimes with the movie's actors. But as soon as Khloe starts digging, the story begins to unravel.

• 40:22Scaachi Koul?

  We don't know who tipped Khloe off, but it's clear they were on to something. And their lead brings Khloe to call someone she hopes can help, a widow in her 60s named Roz Hemmings.

• 40:35Sarah Hagi?

  Oh my God, you just know Roz has been waiting for this call.

• 40:41Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, she has been sitting by the phone, waiting for her time.

• 40:44Sarah Hagi?

  I do feel like this is a very relatable experience where you know someone needs to get got, and you're like, someone else is going to figure it out, and they're going to do it.

• 40:52Scaachi Koul?

  Okay, well, when Roz answers the phone, Khloe introduces herself as a journalist for The Observer. And before Khloe can explain why she's calling, Roz cuts her off. She asks if this is about Sally Walker, and says that she's been waiting for this call for years.

• 41:10Scaachi Koul?

  The truth about Sally has been an open secret in her community for a long time. But Roz says she had no idea how to go about contacting journalists or finding news sources that would care. As Roz shares her side of the story, Chloe's jaw drops. There's clearly far more to the story than Sally or Rayner wrote in her books. And the more people Chloe talks to, the more shocking Sally's account becomes. Because the story that led to an international bestseller and flashy new movie appears to be based on a series of mischaracterizations, exaggerations, and outright lies. Soon, many devoted Salt Path fans will learn Rayner Wynn's true name and begin questioning every detail of the story that made her famous.

• 42:00Speaker 05

  Imagine you're reading Pride and Prejudice, except you're not reading it. Harris Dickinson and Marissa Abella are reading it to you on Audible. Her barbs sting you. His cold nassens shiver up your spine. Your heart aches. Your ears burn. You yearn for Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to profess their undying love for one another. You can't bear it any longer. Well, maybe a chapter longer. Performance is so good, you'll give love a second chance. Audible. Stories that speak to you. Journalist Tristan Redman goes where no son-in-law should ever go. Deep into his wife's family history, digging up the cold case of who murdered her great-grandmother. Because, I should mention, he thinks the murderer might actually be the beloved family patriarch.

• 42:44Speaker 05

  For the best binge-watch series like Ghost Story, listen to the Audible True Crime Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

• 42:58Scaachi Koul?

  It's May 2025, and celebrities are walking the red carpet to celebrate the film version of The Salt Path, which is being released across the UK and several other countries. Alongside stars Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, the real-life couple who inspired the movie posed for photos, holding hands and smiling at the camera. Rayner and Ma themselves. The film is a hit. Reportedly, it's made on a budget of less than $10 million, and it quickly grosses over $20 million. Audiences embrace it as an inspiring true tale of resilience. Here's a clip from the trailer. We lost everything. Our home, our livelihood. Maybe we should just...

• 43:38Speaker 06

  Follow a line around the coast. We just walk. You ready? Can't move my arms and my legs, but apart from that, good to go.

• 43:47Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah, again, regardless of the origins and what is and isn't true here, this is just total Oscar bait. Two beloved actors going through some crazy physical traumas. The resilience of humans, like this is, uh, audiences love this. Me as an exec, greenlit.

• 44:07Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, it's a little schlocky. Well, Khloe watches all of this with a knot in her stomach because she knows not all of it is true. And even though Sally smiles confidently at flashing cameras, she likely knows the heartwarming story that got her here is about to come undone. Because two months ago, Khloe reached out to Sally to inform her about the investigation and to share what she'd uncovered. Sally has repeatedly refused to engage with Khloe or her colleagues, but there's little doubt that she knows what's coming. Finally, on July 5th, less than two months after the movie is released, Khloe hits publish on her exposé on The Observer's website. The article reveals the entire dirty truth about what led the Walkers to lose their home.

• 44:53Scaachi Koul?

  The years of dishonesty, the unpaid debt, and even the fake farmhouse giveaway from their strange publishing venture. It also states that while the couple claimed to be homeless, they had actually purchased a property in France back in 2007, right before Roz Hemmings confronted Sally about her alleged deception. The property included an old house that was falling apart and virtually uninhabitable, but the Walkers were not forced to camp in the wild. They'd actually stayed on the property in a caravan a few times before ever losing their farmhouse.

• 45:26Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah, again, I'm not saying it was ideal circumstances to live in and losing your home is hard no matter what, but the truth is, yes, they had property.

• 45:35Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, the matter of their housing was definitely dishonest, but perhaps most shocking of all, the reporting calls the emotional core of the salt path into question. Tim's illness. Raynor has long claimed that her husband had suffered from CBD since around 2007. This in itself is extraordinary because the life expectancy for CBD is usually around six to eight years. For someone to live with the condition for 18 years with seemingly no visible symptoms while hiking and attending red carpet premieres is virtually unheard of. And the idea that walking or exercise could reverse the disease is highly unlikely. Chloe interviews neurologists and other experts, and they agree. While Tim does appear to have been

• 46:20Scaachi Koul?

  diagnosed with CBD, it seems to have been an atypical and unusually mild case. The revelations hit particularly hard for others living with CBD, many of whom had turned to The Salt Path as a source of hope. A CBD charity that Moth and Raynor had been working with immediately cut ties with the couple.

• 46:39Sarah Hagi?

  See, that is exactly what I assumed would piss me off the most about this story, is that, again, there are people with this really difficult illness with a short life expectancy, and giving people false hope is so wrong. People want to grab on to whatever they can, and I just, yeah, it really breaks my heart that they were duped.

• 47:01Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, and they aren't the only ones impacted. An Australian couple tells Chloe that they encountered Sally and Tim while walking the coastal trail, and their shared meal in a cafe was included in The Salt Path. There's just one problem. The Australians documented that meeting on their blog in 2015, about two years after Sally claims it occurred in her book. And then Bill opens up to Chloe about getting confusing medical updates on Tim while the couple was living on his farm. As these new details surface, many of Sally's fans begin to feel less inspired and more like they've been deceived. Seven years after The Salt Path was first published to widespread acclaim, Raynor Wynn's story collapses under scrutiny. Chloe's reporting spreads like wildfire

• 47:46Scaachi Koul?

  as it gets picked up by newspapers across the UK and media outlets around the world. Raynor is no longer Raynor. She's just Sally again, and now she faces a choice: come clean or double down.

• 48:02Scaachi Koul?

  In July 2025, a few days after Chloe's article is published, Sally posts a lengthy response on her website. The response, which is almost as long as the expose itself, calls the article, quote, "grotesquely unfair and highly misleading." Sally does vaguely acknowledge the 64,000 pounds that disappeared from her former workplace, saying it was a, quote, "pressured time," and that "mistakes were made." She also addresses the failed house raffle, claiming that she refunded the small number of participants before it gained traction. Sally doubles down on her husband's illness, posting photos of medical records and letters from doctors confirming Tim's diagnosis. But these records actually seem to align with Chloe's reporting.

• 48:47Scaachi Koul?

  In one letter from 2015, a doctor wrote that Tim's symptoms, quote, "most closely resembled the corticobasal syndrome," though he is impacted "very mildly," and emphasizes that his condition is not typical of a usual CBD diagnosis. None of this nuance is reflected in the salt path or the books that followed, which present Moth as terminally ill with symptoms dramatically improved by walking. In the wake of the allegations, Penguin announces it's delaying the release of Sally's newest book, yet another memoir about her and Tim taking a long walk.

• 49:24Sarah Hagi?

  How many books about walking can you be writing? Like, at a certain point, you're gonna need to sit down.

• 49:30Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, I mean, I guess they got nothing else to do. But Sarah, just as we were preparing to record this episode, Chloe dropped another bombshell. In December 2025, she reports that members of Sally and Tim's families allege the couple has been lying about nearly everything. Sally's sister showed Chloe letters said to be written by Sally herself. And in them, Sally appears to admit to stealing more than 100,000 pounds from her employers, Tim's parents, and even her own mother. The letters also claim that stealing money became an addiction for Sally and that she begged her family not to go to the authorities. At the time, they complied. But now, the family claims they just want the truth to be known.

• 50:15Scaachi Koul?

  Sally posted a strenuous denial of these accusations on her website, writing, quote, "I did not steal from family, as others can confirm. Nor have I confessed to doing so, and I did not write the letter suggesting I did." Relatives also questioned the severity of Tim's illness. Can you read what one relative told Chloe about it?

• 50:35Sarah Hagi?

  Yes, this family member said, "We never worried, let's put it like that." Oof, that is rough. Even though this is all uncovered, I'm just kind of like, how did it get to this point? How does this happen?

• 50:50Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, I mean, they just really kept digging a hole.

• 50:53Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah.

• 50:54Scaachi Koul?

  In her response, Sally says that Tim's diagnosis, quote, "is a fact." And in her previous statement, she said questioning his illness is, quote, "utterly vile, unfair, and false." Chloe also worked with Sky TV on a documentary called "The Salt Path Scandal", which aired the day after her latest expose. Today, Tim still seems to be in relatively good health. And thanks to her literary success, Sally is doing very well. She's made an estimated $12.8 million in book sales. As more people from their former life come forward to raise doubts about the salt path, she and Tim have been staying out of the public eye. Chloe's reporting has prompted broader questions about the lack of due diligence

• 51:36Scaachi Koul?

  in book publishing that allowed Sally's story to spread so widely unchecked. The message at the heart of the salt path, that you can overcome anything, even homelessness or a terminal illness, through togetherness and a connection with the natural world, proved irresistible to publishers and readers alike. Sally gave desperate people something to believe in. And who knows, maybe after this controversy dies down, she'll try to walk it off, spinning the whole thing into yet another book.

• 52:09Scaachi Koul?

  Have you ever seen someone who is able to spin so many books out of one single physical activity?

• 52:15Sarah Hagi?

  No, or even just one story. Like, you know, it's not like there were added layers here. It's pretty much is what it is by her own admission, right?

• 52:25Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, I mean, I also think what I'm so obsessed with when it comes to this story is that everything was mostly fraudulent with the exception of the actual walking. Like, of all the things to lie about, you could have lied about the walking, too. Sounds boring.

• 52:40Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah, I mean, here's the thing that kind of gets me about this. And I feel like we've seen it before with, like, the art forgery people and some people who've done, you know, some type of forgery with writing or imitating someone is that, like, clearly she is a gifted writer. She has something that people don't have, which is being able to write a compelling book regardless of whether or not it's real. It's so interesting when something like this is also tied up in this need to kind of be a victim.

• 53:11Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah. I guess the only part of this that really surprises me is that the frauds seem to start kind of late in their life. Usually when people lie like this, so consistently allegedly, allegedly lie, it starts a lot earlier.

• 53:28Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah, I think, you know, if what her family is saying is correct, that these people have stolen money, again, if that is true, I think we see this with a lot of people we cover where there's this level of delusion with how much smarter they are than everyone else. Like, if you can kind of get away with it with the people closest to you, then you'll know how to spin a web for others who don't even know those details. I guess I'm just wondering, like, why didn't she just write this as fiction?

• 53:58Scaachi Koul?

  This is the thing, these books maybe don't necessarily work in fiction because they only work if you care that somebody did it. Like, it has to be true, otherwise it's valueless. That's why this book doesn't work if they lied. It's why A Million Little Pieces didn't work if he lied. It's why, you know, like, they only connect with people Because they're true, the most evil thing they did was telling people who are chronically ill that if you go for a little walk, you too can be pain free.

• 54:26Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah.

• 54:26Scaachi Koul?

  And that is a cruelty beyond a financial scam.

• 54:29Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah, I do think there is an element here that kind of feels similar to cancer scammers or people who scam with regards to illness is that there's kind of a pit that needs, there's just like nothing that will fill them up in any way.

• 54:44Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah.

• 54:44Sarah Hagi?

  It just is like a need that goes beyond recognition and money and everything because again, like you made more money than anyone does writing books. It's so illogical that there's just an element of this that you can only understand if you're someone who is really into like munchausen's by proxy. I also think there is something here with, as you mentioned, it started conversations about what publishers should be looking at when it comes to fact checking memoirs and stories of hope and everything because this isn't uncommon.

• 55:18Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah.

• 55:18Sarah Hagi?

  If something seems too good to be true, don't hold on to the social contract of feeling bad that you're questioning a sick person. If someone's being sincere, they'll understand that they got to dig and make sure this is correct. You know what I mean?

• 55:30Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah, there's a sensitivity to fact checking memoir. A lot of people don't do it.

• 55:36Sarah Hagi?

  Uh huh.

• 55:37Scaachi Koul?

  They just trust the writer and so of course you're going to have stuff like this happen periodically. I mean, like, how many literary scams have we covered already in this show?

• 55:45Sarah Hagi?

  Uh huh. Like many of these stories, if one person had just asked a few simple questions, especially as we see how easily this unraveled with Chloe, the journalist.

• 55:55Scaachi Koul?

  Uh huh.

• 55:56Sarah Hagi?

  A lot of this could have been avoided. I just couldn't imagine being a publisher and like having these dollar signs in my eyes because I see this old couple that does all this amazing stuff against all odds. Like, you don't want to question that, you know? Like, there's no motivation to question that.

• 56:12Scaachi Koul?

  I wouldn't have asked too many questions either, I guess. It's just walking. How evil could it be?

• 56:16Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah, it's like, oh no, he's sick. Maybe he's not that sick, but the walking sure is great.

• 56:21Scaachi Koul?

  Well, maybe Gillian can go full circle and play Chloe in a movie about how she takes them down because what a waste.

• 56:27Sarah Hagi?

  ...released, maybe they should just re-edit it like they do when someone drops out of a movie or dies, where there's like a whole Chloe subplot.

• 56:35Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah.

• 56:36Sarah Hagi?

  And we just kind of fit it into the story, you know?

• 56:38Scaachi Koul?

  Paul Walker.

• 56:38Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah, exactly.

• 56:40Scaachi Koul?

  Who should play Chloe?

• 56:41Sarah Hagi?

  Well, she seems to be a normal woman of normal age, so maybe some 20-year-old.

• 56:47Scaachi Koul?

  Yeah. Ooh, what if she's like 21 and sleeps with all her sources?

• 56:53Sarah Hagi?

  Yeah, yeah, that'd be great.

• 56:54Scaachi Koul?

  That's what happens in all the movies I see of a journalist, though.

• 56:57Sarah Hagi?

  Awesome.

• 56:58Scaachi Koul?

  Can't wait to see it with you.

• 57:10Scaachi Koul?

  This is The Salt Path: A Long Walk From the Truth. I'm Sachi Cole.

• 57:15Sarah Hagi?

  And I'm Sarah Haggie. If you have a tip for us on a story that you think we should cover, please email us at [email protected]. We use many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were reporting by Chloe Hagemuth for The Observer and articles from the BBC and The Guardian.

• 57:33Scaachi Koul?

  Gabrielle Droule wrote this episode. Additional writing by us, Sachi Cole and Sarah Haggie. Olivia Brawley is our story editor. Fact checking by Kalina Newman. Sound design by James Morgan. Additional audio assistance provided by Augustine Lin. Our music supervisor is Scott Velazquez for Freeze on Sync. Our managing producer is Desi Blaylock. Janine Cornolo and Stephanie Jens are development producers. Our associate producer is Charlotte Miller. Our senior producers are Sarah Enney and Ginny Bloom. Our executive producers are Jenny Lauer-Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondery.

• 58:17Scaachi Koul?

  Follow Scamfluencers on the Audible app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes of Scamfluencers ad-free by joining Audible.