Who Is Graham Hornigold?

Graham Hornigold, 48, is simply a renowned U.K. pastry chef and cofounder with Heather Kaniuk of the donut concatenation Longboys, which has respective locations successful London. They besides started the pastry and hospitality consultancy Smart Patisserie Ltd. together.

You whitethorn person seen him connected TV earlier arsenic well: Graham served arsenic a justice connected 2 seasons of Junior Bake Off and guest-starred connected Bravo's Top Chef: World All Stars in 2022.

Graham and New Zealand-born Heather stock a lad who was calved successful September 2020—name not disclosed and look blurred successful the Netflix documentary Con Mum—and the archetypal occupation listed connected his Instagram bio is "Daddy."

As helium explained successful the doc, Graham was calved successful Germany connected a British Army basal and went into foster attraction astatine the property of 2. Two years later, his begetter and stepmother moved him to St Albans, England, wherever helium grew up and got his archetypal bakery job—sweeping floors and stacking bread—at 14.

Graham said helium was 18 the past clip helium saw his dad.

How Did Dionne Come Into Graham Hornigold's Life?

Despite his occurrence successful life, personally and professionally, Graham ever felt similar thing was missing.

"Obviously, it was rather painful," helium said successful the doc, "not knowing your mother."

They tracked down his commencement certificate, which noted that Graham's begetter was a sapper, a.k.a. successful the British Army’s Royal Corps of Engineers, portion his parent was listed as Theresa Haton Hornigold, formerly Mahamud.

They looked for Theresa for awhile, Heather said successful the doc, but gave up aft a fewer months. And then, "a week oregon truthful later," Graham recalled, "we recovered retired we were pregnant."

In March 2020, London locked down owed to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they remembered each that clip spent unneurotic astatine location fondly, Graham calling it "the champion clip of our relationship."

And past helium got an email "out of the blue," helium said successful the doc, from a pistillate identifying herself arsenic Graham's mum, Dionne.

She had him successful Germany but helium was taken distant from her and brought to England, she wrote successful the email, arsenic work by Graham and Heather successful the doc. "If immoderate of these [details] makes consciousness to you and you are the Graham I've been searching for," Dionne wrote, "I would emotion to perceive backmost from you. If not, I nonstop my apologies."

As Graham asked questions to gauge whether Dionne was the existent deal, she knew cardinal details, specified arsenic that helium didn't person a mediate name, not falling for the instrumentality question of asking what his mediate sanction was.

When Graham and Heather yet accepted an invitation from Dionne to sojourn her successful Liverpool, "The feeling I had erstwhile I archetypal met her was not to be a baby," Graham said successful the doc, "but it felt similar I was somebody's baby, if that makes sense." 

They clicked immediately, arsenic remembered by Graham and Heather, who said successful the doc that Dionne and Graham "looked alike, they had the aforesaid mannerisms, determination was conscionable an instant transportation to them."

The time aft this blessed reunion, Graham said, Dionne told him that she had a encephalon tumor and bony marrow cancer, and had six months to live.

Why Did Graham Hornigold Think Dionne Was rich?

Dionne checked into a bid of five-star hotels successful London, wherever the unit knew her by name, and racked up immense bills "ordering the champion champagnes" and caviar, Graham said in Con Mum.

Graham elaborate however Dionne explained that she was a affluent businesswoman who lived successful Singapore and had effect farms and thenar lipid plantations successful Indonesia and her location state of Malaysia. She was ever connected the telephone speaking 1 of "like, 18 languages," helium said, and she showed him videos of her bringing nutrient to the mediocre successful the far-flung destinations she frequented.

Graham said Dionne told him she had 2 sources of wealth: Her "business acumen" and "that she is the illegitimate kid of the erstwhile sultan of Brunei."

And helium believed it, helium said, particularly erstwhile they went to The Dorchester successful London (which is owned by the Brunei Investment Agency, a.k.a. the royal family) and "absolutely everybody knew her." 

Dionne told him it was precocious clip she bought him a contiguous aft 45 years, Graham said, and they picked retired a Land Rover. And, not wanting Heather to consciousness near out, Dionne got her daughter-in-law a BMW.

Not agelong aft Heather and Graham welcomed their son, they said successful the doc, Dionne asked Graham to articulation her successful Zurich truthful they could thin to pressing fiscal matters earlier her imminent death.

When Did Graham Hornigold Start Giving Dionne Money?

While Graham and Dionne were successful Zurich, Heather—home unsocial with a caller baby—said successful the doc that she started to turn suspicious erstwhile the travel went from a fewer days to a period and beyond, and inactive nary papers had been signed pertaining to Dionne's affairs.

And then, Heather said, she was looking done their accounts erstwhile she noticed "a important magnitude transferred into Graham's name."

It turned out, according to Graham, that Dionne had asked him earlier they went to Switzerland if helium could assistance her with her £20,000 London edifice bill, due to the fact that "supposedly determination was an contented transferring wealth due to the fact that of COVID." As helium enactment it successful the doc, "We're not precisely currency rich, but I was blessed to assistance my mum, you know?"

Heather said in Con Mum that she had been nether the content that Dionne was paying for her ain expenses and, erstwhile she asked Graham astir the wealth he’d spent covering Dionne’s bills, helium told her not to interest and assured her “it’s going to travel backmost tenfold.”

Dionne—who's seen and heard in Con Mum from compartment telephone videos, photos and audio recordings—is heard successful the doc telling Graham, "I get wealth from you due to the fact that you are my blood...I emotion you dearly."

Graham Hornigold's Partner Heather Starts Having Suspicions About Dionne

Graham hardly made it backmost to London for Christmas, Heather recalled successful the doc, arsenic helium was torn betwixt wanting to enactment with the mum helium thought had months to unrecorded and being determination for his spouse and 3-month-old son. But helium returned the nighttime of Dec. 24.

"The much I was questioning Dionne," Heather said, "the much Dionne was trying to propulsion maine retired and get maine retired of the picture." Graham, she added, did not spot the "nasty undercurrent" successful however Dionne was treating her.

Heather said it ended up being "the worst Christmas I ever had successful my life."

They were expected to spell to New Zealand to present their kid to her family, Heather said, but Graham yet said helium couldn't go, helium couldn't permission Dionne "and tally the hazard I didn't get backmost to spot the passing of my mother."

Heather said she aboriginal recovered retired that Graham had opened recognition cards successful his sanction astatine Dionne's request. And, Graham said, erstwhile the edifice successful Zurich presented Dionne with a astir £25,000 bill, she told him she was inactive having occupation accessing her money, truthful helium agreed to lend her some. He estimated helium was down £80,000 to £100,000 by then.

Then, Heather said, she saw "two ample transactions" taken retired of her and Graham's associated relationship arsenic car payments.  According to Graham, Dionne had paid a deposit but the cars were successful his sanction and, aft she "all of a sudden" stopped making the monthly payments, helium was liable for "nearly £300,000" for the Land Rover and BMW they thought were gifts.

Is Dionne Really Graham Hornigold's Mother?

Heather recounted successful the doc reaching retired to Action Fraud UK and past the police, who told her it was improbable that what Dionne had done would beryllium seen arsenic a transgression due to the fact that she was Graham's mother. Admittedly, Heather said, Dionne didn't acceptable the "typical criminal" illustration arsenic a wheelchair-bound 80-something pistillate successful mediocre health.

"Essentially they telephone it a atrocious concern decision," Graham told The Guardian ahead of Con Mum's premiere, "because you cognize wherever the wealth is going and who to."

By the clip helium got a DNA test, helium said, "part of maine didn't privation to beryllium related, honestly." (He said helium asked Dionne for a DNA trial erstwhile they archetypal met, and she had told him, "Oh no, no, no, you judge maine oregon don't judge me.")

And yet the results, arsenic helium work them successful the doc, stated helium was "unequivocally 99.9 percent the biologic lad of 1 Ms. Dionne Marie Hannah." Which, Graham said, was "the hardest happening to understand."

Was Dionne Sick With Cancer?

Graham said in Con Mum that, close aft his lad was born, helium got a connection from Dionne telling him she had "passed blood," arsenic good arsenic a photograph showing reddish liquid successful the toilet (which was shown successful the doc).

Months aboriginal successful Switzerland, erstwhile helium excessively was suspicious of Dionne, Graham said helium recovered reddish nutrient coloring successful a drawer. Dionne denied utilizing the dye to fake blood, according to Graham, telling him it was "a Chinese medicine thing."

Dionne besides refused to fto him instrumentality her to the doc erstwhile she seemingly looked to beryllium successful agony, Graham said successful the doc. And erstwhile helium took a person look astatine the container of medications she had with her, helium said, they were for ailments similar hypertension and diabetes, but not 1 appeared to beryllium a crab drug. 

"In my mind," helium said, "there is nary cancer."

Dionne besides continued to importune that Graham's gramps was the erstwhile sultan of Brunei, helium said, telling him (as heard successful a signaling successful the doc), "I don't attraction if you judge maine oregon not, it's each true."

What Happened to Dionne?

About a twelvemonth aft she archetypal re-entered his life, Dionne called Graham, saying she was successful Malaysia.

Dionne told him she was "sorry for what happened," arsenic heard successful footage of Graham connected the call. She was "sorry, from bottommost of my heart," she continued. "I've done what I done, I cannot change, son. I cannot change."

Whether anything Dionne told him astir her beingness was true, Graham told The Guardian, "You tin speculate, but you conscionable don’t know, bash you?"

He said helium hadn't spoken to her successful 3 years and doesn't cognize wherever she is now. Con Mum notes that Dionne did not respond to requests for comment.

Where Are Graham Hornigold and Heather Kaniuk Now?

Graham and Heather yet divided up and she lives successful New Zealand with their son.

In her archetypal Instagram station since September 2020, Heather shared a photo of a sunny formation connected Dec. 31, 2024. Her bio inactive says that she's cofounder of Longboys and Smart Patisserie.

"I miss them each day," Graham said successful the doc, "but [my son] is happy." He had enactment his beingness "back together," helium continued. "I've realized that you tin recover, particulate yourself disconnected and support going."

Graham told The Guardian that helium video chats with his lad and plans to sojourn erstwhile helium can. He's inactive successful debt, helium said, but doesn't privation that to impact his kid "in the consciousness that helium won’t spot his dad. I’m going to beryllium a large portion of his life."

Meanwhile, Longboys appears to beryllium thriving, and Graham—named 1 of the 10 "most breathtaking pastry chefs successful the U.K." by Great British Chefs successful 2024—is progressive connected his idiosyncratic and concern Instagram accounts, congenially sharing the inspiration down his shop's outpouring flavors past month. He adjacent posted for U.K. Mother’s Day connected March 30, captioning a photo of him holding a container of tempting donuts, "Happy Mother’s Day, to each the astonishing mums retired there."