The story of a TV chef adopted aged two has become the subject of a brand-new Netflix documentary after a woman claiming to be his long-lost mother came back into his life, with jaw dropping consequences.
MasterChef: The Professionals judge Graham Hornigold, 50, from St Albans, had always dreamed of one day being able to piece together his past after growing up without a mother figure.
But his world was turned upside down in 2020 when he received an email out of the blue from an elderly woman called Dionne who alleged her dying wish was to reconnect with her son after he was taken away from her when he was just two-years-old.
Less than a week later, Graham finds himself in the penthouse of a Liverpool hotel sipping on champagne with the mother he had always longed to meet, discovering she was an affluent businesswoman worth multi-millions, spoke 18 languages and was living a life of luxury.
In a Netflix world exclusive, Graham’s story, which is being told for the first time on the global streamer, details how he went from the highs of being a head chef at A-list restaurant Hakkasan to suffering a betrayal so calculated he lost his entire life savings and the chance to finally connect with blood family.
The story of a TV chef adopted at birth has become the subject of a brand-new Netflix documentary after a woman claiming to be his long-lost mother came back into his life
MasterChef: The Professionals judge Graham Hornigold, from St Albans, had always dreamed of one day being able to piece together his past after growing up without a mother figure
His world was turned upside down in 2020 when he received an email out of the blue from an elderly woman called Dionne who claimed her dying wish was to reconnect with her son
MailOnline has the first look trailer at Con Mum, which is available to watch on March 25, where Graham details his heartbreaking encounter with Dionne, the woman who convinced him that she was his birth mother.
Speaking in the preview clip, Graham, co-founder of Longboys Doughnuts, says: ‘There’s no greater act of love than to cook for someone… As I child I never had that mother child bond.’
His ex-partner Heather, who’s from New Zealand, explains: ‘Graham didn’t know who his real mum was and then one day out of the blue we received an email… She had been given months to live, and this was her driving factor in trying to find Graham.
‘I wish we had never received that email. It was the start of something we never thought in a million years was going to happen.’
Graham adds: ‘She has this wealth which she wants us to inherit. She has businesses all over the world, we are talking like hundreds of millions.’
The trailer begins with voice notes from Dionne, who tells Graham: ‘I never stopped loving you, I just want to be with you so much.’
She is also heard saying: ‘If I die soon… You’ll be a multimillionaire.’
The complexity of Graham’s story begins to unfold as he explains feeling confused by several other people calling Dionne their mother.
Graham’s ex-partner Heather explains: ‘Graham didn’t know who his real mum was and then one day out of the blue we received an email… She had been given months to live…’
Speaking in the preview clip, Graham, co-founder of Longboys Doughnuts, says: ‘There’s no greater act of love than to cook for someone… As I child I never had that mother child bond’
The complexity of Graham’s story begins to unfold as he explains feeling confused by several other people calling Dionne their mother
Following the success of documentaries Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare, Con Mum is available to stream on Netflix on March 25, just days before the UK celebrates Mother’s Day
Graham’s family life including relationship with Heather was torn apart as a result of the stress and upset caused by Dionne
Following the success of documentaries Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare and The Tinder Swindler, Con Mum is available to stream on Netflix on March 25, just days before the UK celebrates Mother’s Day.
The 90-minute feature film, directed by BAFTA-nominated Nick Green, is billed by Netflix as a story about ‘A chef’s life is upended when a jet-setting, champagne-sipping, hotel-hopping woman claims to be his mother.’
Con Mum is just one documentary being produced by the streamer set for release this year.
Grenfell, an emotional retelling of the June 2017 Tower Block fires which claimed the lives of 72 residents and destroyed hundreds of families in London’s North Kensington, will be available to watch in 2025.
Critical, an upcoming series which follows emergency doctors and paramedics as they work to save lives in London, is another documentary in the works.
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