'It's the wildest, most bizarre story'

A shocking new documentary delves into a seemingly wholesome children's charity endorsed by top celebrities

- WORDS: JEN PHARO

Believe In Magic was the much-loved charity backed by One Direction that granted wishes for children diagnosed with cancer.

However, a new three-part BBC documentary called The Mother Of All Cons will reveal how, unknown to the charity's many celebrity backers, a dark deception was taking place behind the scenes.

“It's the wildest, most bizarre story,” says Nick Bird, a parent who investigated the charity. “It’s fiction but it’s actually real and it actually happened, it’s bonkers.”

Believe In Magic was founded in 2010 by 16-year-old Megan Bhari and her mother Jean O'Brien, who said Megan had been diagnosed with a brain tumour. When Megan tagged her pop heroes in her posts, they kindly helped to promote the charity. They wore Believe In Magic charity bracelets at gigs and Louis Tomlinson even hosted a Believe In Magic Cinderella Ball at London’s Natural History Museum. Together, Megan and her mum Jean helped create incredible memories for children who had been dealt life’s toughest blow.

Charity events took place in Hamleys, Downing Street and even Buckingham Palace. Naturally when Megan herself fell ill, the families who the charity had helped were willing to give back and donate their own money.

But when Jean created an new appeal to raise £120,000, saying Megan needed lifesaving emergency treatment in 2015, Nick and another parent called Joanna Ashcroft began to realise things didn’t add up.