Where is Jean O'Brien now? The shocking true story behind BBC's The Mother of All Cons

More than a decade ago, Jean O'Brien and her daughter Megan Bhari became the faces of one of Britain's most celebrated children's charities – inspired by Megan's very own 'illness'.

Their organisation, Believe in Magic, even attracted support from celebrities (like Megan's favourite band, One Direction) and managed to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds, while lifting the spirits of seriously ill children across the UK.

But all that unravelled after a group of parents began questioning Megan's brain tumour diagnosis, noticing that some of the details that she and Jean shared were not matching up to their own firsthand experiences of caring for a child with the same diagnosis.

Now, BBC Two's new three-part series The Mother of All Cons revisits the case. Here's everything to know about Megan Bhari, the Believe in Magic charity, how the deception was uncovered and where Jean O'Brien is believed to be now...

Megan Bhari was a teenager from Surrey who rose to national prominence after claiming to be living with a brain tumour and sharing her story via a blog that garnered attention online. From that, things snowballed.

According to reporting by The Independent, Megan and her mother Jean then launched Believe in Magic in 2012, when Megan was just 16 years old – and initially, the charity's mission seemed simple and innocent enough: to create magical experiences for seriously ill children and their families to make memories.

Megan's story of life with brain cancer resonated with thousands of people, and celebrity supporters quickly rallied behind the cause. Among the charity's most high-profile backers were One Direction, with Harry Styles' mother even taking part in a 10-day trek to raise money for Believe in Magic.

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Megan was widely praised for continuing to campaign and fundraise despite her own reported health struggles. In 2015, then-prime minister David Cameron even recognised her charitable efforts at a Downing Street reception, calling her "extraordinary".

However, following Megan's death in 2018 – from a heart issue and not a brain tumour – an inquest would find there was no evidence she had ever suffered from the brain tumour in the first place, even though that was the diagnosis that had defined her story so publicly.

Some believe that Megan was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Journalist Jamie Bartlett who investigated the story said that Megan was sick "but not of the thing she claimed, nor to the severity she claimed."

An inquest revealed she had fatty liver disease and had received treatment for an opioid addiction.

Believe in Magic was founded to provide special experiences for children living with serious and terminal illnesses. The charity organised trips, celebrity meet-and-greets, family holidays and once-in-a-lifetime events designed to give children a break from hospital appointments and treatment.

Importantly, children supported by the charity were genuinely ill. Despite Megan not actually having a brain tumour, families have said they did receive genuine support, experiences and opportunities through Believe in Magic – which is one reason the charity attracted such widespread goodwill.

The organisation's profile continued to grow as Megan's health was said to worsen. In 2015, supporters were told she urgently required specialist treatment in the United States. Public appeals reportedly raised around £120,000 within days. However, it was those fundraising efforts that would ultimately trigger serious questions, when suspicious parents managed to track down where exactly Megan and Jean were in the USA... and it transpired they were not in a hospital, but on a luxury Disney World holiday.

According to reports, the first people to challenge Megan's claims were not journalists or police, but parents of children with cancer; some of whom had experience fundraising for specialist treatment abroad and became concerned by the lack of detail surrounding Megan's alleged medical care. Photos of Jean and Megan lifting heavy luggage also roused suspicions.

One parent, Joanna Ashcroft, whose son had been treated for cancer, began comparing notes with other families online and the group went on to uncover inconsistencies relating to hospitals, doctors and treatment plans.

They also questioned claims that Megan was critically ill as she spent time in a Disney hotel while supposedly receiving treatment in Florida.

The parents eventually compiled evidence and brought their concerns to the attention of regulators and authorities.

In 2017, the Charity Commission launched a statutory inquiry into Believe in Magic and found serious issues relating to governance, record-keeping and financial management.

Following Megan's passing in March 2018, an inquest found her cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia caused by fatty liver disease. The examination of her brain found no evidence of the tumour that had been publicly described for years.

A subsequent safeguarding review concluded that professionals involved in the case believed Megan may have been the victim of fabricated or induced illness — sometimes referred to as Munchausen syndrome by proxy — although no formal diagnosis was ever made.

Jean O'Brien has consistently disputed allegations surrounding her daughter's illness and the operation of Believe in Magic, and she has never been charged with any criminal offence relating to the charity, fundraising appeals or Megan's medical claims.

In a statement shared with the BBC in 2023, Jean said: "I loved and cared for my daughter. Suggesting I might have harmed her in any way at all is absolutely sickening."

According to reports, Jean is believed to have left the UK following the fallout from the scandal and is thought to be living in France, but her precise whereabouts remain unknown publicly.

The Mother of All Cons begins on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on 30 May

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