The BBC docuseries, Mother of All Cons, details the twisty tale of Megan Bhari, a One Direction fan who sadly died in 2018 of cardiac arrhythmia (after wrongly telling the world she was living with a brain tumour). Before her death, Megan set up a charity, Believe in Magic, with her mother Jean O’Brien, which aimed to provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences for sick children (and their families).
Alongside the charity, Megan and Jean regularly shared updates about the former’s ‘brain tumour’ online, but this later transpired to be a lie – with Megan’s own sister, Nina, even saying how she felt something was very off.
The Believe in Magic charity raised funds to support sick children and received plenty of backing from celebrities, with Megan even being praised by then-Prime Minister, David Cameron, for her work too – however, while it did genuinely do a lot of good, the organisation was built on false pretences. It was later investigated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Megan and Jean were later caught in a lie by parents who’d children had been supported by Believe in Magic and who had grown suspicious at the lack of medical detail Megan and Jean seemed to share about Megan’s brain cancer. Red flags were further raised when Jean launched an appeal for Megan’s ‘urgent treatment’ in the United States, only for the pair to later be found spending time in a Disney resort, rather than a hospital.
After her death, a report by Kingston Adult Safeguarding suggested Megan may have been a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, coerced into taking medication she did not need by her mother.
So, how did Believe in Magic manage to become such a huge charity in the first place? In part, it was down to One Direction (Megan’s favourite band) regularly sharing support through wearing wristbands and tweets, after she met them backstage at a concert, encouraging their fanbase to support.
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But Harry Styles and co. weren’t the only ones to put their name to Believe in Magic… Here’s a list of all the celebs who got involved.
One Direction (and their parents)
After meeting Megan backstage at a concert, One Direction performed wearing purple ‘Believe in Magic’ wristbands and would regularly post about the charity online. In September 2012, Harry Styles’ mother, Anne, even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for the charity.
The band’s involvement spanned years, with member Louis Tomlinson even hosting the ‘Believe in Magic Cinderella Ball’, a huge fundraiser held at the Natural History Museum in London, in the summer of 2015. Louis was joined by his mother, Johannah Deakin and Liam Payne. Tomlinson reportedly made a personal donation of £2 million to the charity.
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Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson at the 2015 Cinderella Ball
Little Mix
The superstar girl group was frequently brought in to grant wishes for poorly children during their peak touring years. The band routinely met with kids backstage at their arena shows, arranged VIP concert experiences for Believe in Magic-backed families and recorded personalised video messages for young fans.
In 2015, they took their support a step further by donating exclusive, signed merchandise and experiences to the charity’s high-profile auctions to help drive up fundraising targets.
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Olly Murs
Pop star Olly Murs lent his massive star power to the charity by acting as a special guest and performer at their exclusive London showcase events. He also spent one-on-one time signing autographs and mingling with the children, and shouted out Believe in Magic on his social media platforms.
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Professor Green
The British rapper and media personality was another major name from the UK music scene to back Megan’s cause during the charity’s peak operational years. He actively lent his support by attending the charity’s high-profile London fundraisers and galas, using his red-carpet presence to significantly boost the media profile of the events.
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Michael Bublé
The international superstar met with select children backstage, providing them with VIP wish experiences and also used his massive platform to publicly praise the work that Megan and her mother were doing.
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Jessie J
Singer Jessie J donated her time and performed a live acoustic set for the charity’s exclusive ‘Magical Mondays’ event and fundraiser. She would also spend hours chatting with the children, taking photos, and helping transform the charity’s parties into spectacular, high-energy experiences for the families in attendance.
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Pixie Lott
Much like Jessie J, musician Pixie Lott also performed as part of ‘Magical Mondays’ and met with children in-person.
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Dynamo
While Louis Tomlinson hosted the famous 2015 Cinderella Ball at the Natural History Museum, several other big names stepped up to supply the evening’s entertainment. Master magician Dynamo spent the night performing mind-boggling table magic for the children, while The X Factor winner Ben Haenow performed a live acoustic vocal set.
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Matt Edmondson
Radio 1 DJ Matt Edmondson (one half of ‘Matt and Mollie’) stepped in to DJ at a Believe in Magic fairytale-themed evening, taking song requests.
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Arlene Phillips
The former Strictly Come Dancing judge attended the 2015 ball and showed support for the charity, posing on the red carpet outside to help generate press.
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