What happened to Graham Hornigold? All about the scam from Netflix’s Con Mum
Graham Hornigold is a pastry chef from London who has had a successful career. Reportedly, Graham was a former judge in Master Chef and also appeared in Junior Bake Off.
However, his life took an unexpected turn when Graham Hornigold met a woman who claimed to be his biological mother. The woman named Dionne Marie Hannah told Graham that she was suffering from a brain tumor and bone marrow cancer. As per Dianne's story, she had just six months left to live.
After their reunion, the woman promised Graham that she would transfer her inheritance to his name. However, after traveling on luxury international trips and spending lavishly, Graham Hornigold realized that he had been scammed and was left with $300,000 in debt. Netflix's new documentary, Con Mum, explores the complete story behind the scam. The documentary was released on March 25, 2025, on Netflix.
Who was Graham Hornigold, and what happened?
According to the documentary, it was in 2020, and Hornigold was living a successful life as a pastry chef. He worked as a chef at the Longboys Bakery in the heart of Levenshulme, Manchester.
Graham and his then-partner, Heather Kaniuk, were in a successful relationship and were expecting the birth of their baby boy. However, during this time, he met a woman named Dionne Marie Hannah, who was also known by her pseudonym, Theresa Haton Mahmud.
As per Radio Times, Graham Hornigold received an email that claimed to be sent by his biological mother. The email said:
"Graham was born in Germany before being taken from me to England."
The email concluded, saying:
"If this makes any sense to you and you are the Graham I'm searching for, I would love to hear back from you. If not, I send my apologies."
As reported by Radio Times, Graham replied to the email, asking a couple of personal questions, all of which were replied to correctly. Graham and his partner Heather were soon invited to Liverpool to meet the woman. The two instantly formed a strong mother-and-son relationship.
As per the documentary, Graham Hornigold suffered from a troubled childhood, where he had to face an abusive father and was raised without a mother. After meeting Graham, Dionne Marie Hannah claimed she was the illegitimate child of the Royal Family of Brunei.
The woman said that she had a rich royal inheritance and successful businesses. However, Hannah claimed that she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and bone marrow cancer.
According to her story, the doctors said that she had just six months to live. Hannah implied that this was the reason she reconnected with Graham: to transfer her inheritance to his name.
As reported by Radio Times, Hannah portrayed herself as leading a lavish lifestyle. She arranged their stay in luxury hotels and provided them with new cars. When the couple followed Hannah to The Dorchester Hotel in London, they received a warm welcome from its staff, which made them more inclined to believe in Dionne Marie Hannah's promises.
Graham Hornigold discovered the scam of Dionne Marie Hannah.
As per Radio Times, a few months after their initial meeting, Graham Hornigold followed Hannah to Switzerland. She said they had to meet a lawyer and a banker to complete the signing of the documents, which would transfer Hannah's wealth to him.
However, Graham's partner, Heather Kaniuk, soon discovered that a significant sum from their joint bank account had been transferred to Hannah. Graham also opened credit card accounts in his name, hoping his mother would repay the money.
Graham soon realized that he was $300,000 in debt. According to Radio Times, Dionne Marie Hannah met some people in Zurich, Switzerland, who asked for money for an investment. She promised to return their money but told them not to reveal it to Graham Hornigold.
While living in Zurich, Graham revealed his mother to a friend named Juan. The friend, who was also living in Zurich at that time, told him that his mother was not dying but rather that all of her actions were a series of scams.
After discovering the scam, Heather decided to report it to the police. But it was revealed that Dionne Marie Hannah was indeed Graham's biological mother. Hence, no legal action was taken. The Netflix documentary reveals that after the scam, Graham had to undergo therapy for his deteriorating mental health.
Additionally, his relationship with Heather turned worse, and the couple eventually separated. According to The Guardian, Heather currently lives with their son in New Zealand, while Graham is still trying to recover from the financial loss.
Check out our other articles for more details about Netflix's Con Mum.
