433: Con Mum

Summary

Episode 433: Con Mum – A Deep Dive into Deception and Manipulation

Released on June 3, 2025

Welcome to Episode 433 of True Crime Obsessed, where hosts Dr. Patrick McGrath and Julie Benzavalli unravel the complexities of the Netflix documentary "Con Mum." In this episode, they explore the chilling story of Dion, a woman who deceives her long-lost son, Graham, for financial gain, leaving a trail of manipulation and emotional turmoil in her wake.

---

1. Introduction to "Con Mum"

Dr. Patrick McGrath sets the stage by introducing the documentary's premise:

"[02:40] Julie Benzavalli: We're talking about Con Mum on Netflix."

The documentary centers around Graham, a Michelin-starred pastry chef with a traumatic past, and his wife Heather, who navigate the sudden reappearance of Dion, a woman claiming to be Graham's birth mother.

---

2. Graham and Heather's Picture-Perfect Life

Graham and Heather's relationship is portrayed as idyllic:

"[04:05] Julie Benzavalli: He's a Michelin starred pastry chef and consultant. He's like a world renowned and celebrated chef."

They met under fortunate circumstances, fell in love, and built a thriving business together. Their happiness seemed unshakable until Dion entered their lives.

---

3. The Arrival of Dion – Red Flags Emerge

Dion's introduction raises immediate suspicions:

"[05:24] Dr. Patrick McGrath: Heather's awesome."
"[05:25] Julie Benzavalli: Heather's awesome."
"[12:01] Julie Benzavalli: She was convinced everything was true."

Despite Dion's claims and superficial indicators of wealth—such as expensive gifts and speaking multiple languages—Julie consistently points out the numerous red flags:

"[16:25] Dr. Patrick McGrath: Look on your face."
"[16:27] Julie Benzavalli: Why is this jet setting woman who's apparently very successful and has a ton of resources, why did it take her all this time to find her son?"
"[18:48] Graham: I've never had a decent car when I met my mum."

---

4. The Depth of Manipulation and Financial Abuse

Dion manipulates Graham emotionally and financially, leveraging his desire for a maternal connection:

"[23:36] Dr. Patrick McGrath: She gets him a Land Rover."
"[26:44] Heather: Where is the proof that she is actually your mom?"

Heather becomes increasingly aware of Dion's deceit, uncovering inconsistencies in Dion's backstory and fraudulent documents:

"[73:31] Dr. Patrick McGrath: And so now, Heather is saying that the trip keeps getting extended."
"[77:53] Graham: We googled the medication that she's on, but most of those were for hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, everything but cancer."

---

5. The Unraveling of Graham's Decision-Making

Under Dion's influence, Graham distances himself from his wife and newborn, prioritizing his relationship with the manipulative "mother":

"[44:35] Julie Benzavalli: He was never in it to win it with Heather."
"[53:56] Dr. Patrick McGrath: He's becoming an abuser, but he's also being completely brainwashed."

The financial strain intensifies as Graham incurs significant debt due to unwarranted expenses and unauthorized transfers:

"[70:00] Dr. Patrick McGrath: She now owns 20% of their business and has given them nothing."
"[70:37] Julie Benzavalli: So he left his wife and newborn. For months he's been taking money without her knowledge and he's putting her in debt."

---

6. Hosts' Critical Analysis and Emotional Response

Julie and Patrick express frustration and disbelief at Graham's choices:

"[35:35] Julie Benzavalli: He was blinded by the idea of money."
"[56:19] Julie Benzavalli: I need you to step up because this is ridiculous."

They highlight the psychological manipulation at play, questioning Graham's ability to discern reality amidst Dion's deceit:

"[67:54] Dr. Patrick McGrath: And Heather says the experience of being a new mother was robbed from me."
"[68:51] Dr. Patrick McGrath: And when we hit the TCO 10 mark, we'll do some caviar."

---

7. The Climactic Revelation and Aftermath

As Heather delves deeper, she uncovers Dion's fraudulent activities, leading to the ultimate revelation:

"[82:12] Julie Benzavalli: And because she wants to keep the manipulation and be like, but I'm your mother."
"[83:56] Dr. Patrick McGrath: And Graham is here to say, like that first transaction was £25,000, which is about $32,000."

The documentary concludes with Graham plagued by guilt and debt, while Heather remains steadfast in protecting their newborn from further deceit.

---

8. Conclusion and Reflections

Dr. Patrick and Julie wrap up by emphasizing the dangers of emotional manipulation combined with financial exploitation:

"[38:31] Julie Benzavalli: I just want someone else's stolen money."
"[55:46] Julie Benzavalli: And now Heather wants to save Graham, so she recruits Juan, the friend."

They urge listeners to remain vigilant against such cons, highlighting the importance of safeguarding personal and financial well-being against deceptive individuals.

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Notable Quotes

• Julie Benzavalli on Red Flags:
  "[16:25] Julie Benzavalli: Why is this jet setting woman who's apparently very successful and has a ton of resources, why did it take her all this time to find her son?"

• Dr. Patrick McGrath on Manipulation:
  "[26:44] Dr. Patrick McGrath: The more you and I talk about it, the more I think it was about the money."

• Heather on Losing the Motherhood Experience:
  "[27:42] Julie Benzavalli: She was never going to let that happen."

• Graham’s Realization:
  "[34:00] Julie Benzavalli:He's also sitting in front of a camera for Netflix to justify his actions."

---

Final Thoughts

Episode 433 of True Crime Obsessed provides a comprehensive and critical examination of the "Con Mum" documentary, shedding light on the intricate web of deception spun by Dion. Through insightful discussion and emotional analysis, Dr. Patrick McGrath and Julie Benzavalli underscore the profound impact of manipulation on personal relationships and financial stability.

For those intrigued by this harrowing tale of con artistry and familial deception, this episode serves as a cautionary reminder to stay informed and cautious in the face of seemingly heartfelt rescues.

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Stay tuned for more in-depth analyses of your favorite true crime stories with humor, sass, and heart, right here on True Crime Obsessed.

Transcript

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

What if I told you that right now millions of people are living with a debilitating condition that's so misunderstood, many of them don't even know that they have it. That condition is obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. I'm Dr. Patrick McGrath, the chief clinical officer of NOCD. And in the 25 years I've been treating OCD, I've met so many people who are suffering from the condition in silence, unaware of just what it was. OCD can create overwhelming anxiety and fear around what you value most, make you question your identity, beliefs and morals, and drive you to perform mentally and physically draining compulsions or rituals. Over my career, I've seen just how devastating OCD can be when it's left untreated. But help is available. That's where NOCD comes in. NOCD is the world's largest virtual therapy provider for obsessive compulsive disorder. Our licensed therapists are trained in exposure and response prevention therapy, a specialized treatment proven to be incredibly effective for OCD. So visit nocd.com to schedule a free 15 minute call with our team. That's n o c d dot com. Should we talk about faking cancer again?

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, unavoidable these days. Monsters.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

All you.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It's like cancer, faking cancer and toxic moms. I'm done. I'm done. Hi.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Julie Benzavalli.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Hello. Patrick Hines.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Fam. Look, we've got a Patreon. You know all about it. It's where we do all the amazing things like Scamanda and we're doing.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And speaking of all the f. Cancer. Thanks, Anatomy of Lies Commander.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

We're doing Fox Hollow. Oh, my God. We're doing the Karen Reid thing.

[Julie Benzavalli]

We're doing a body in the snow.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It's wild. You can't look me in the eye when we talk. When you say body in the snow.

[Julie Benzavalli]

House long until we cover Karen Reid and John o' Keefe.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It's so wild. Here's the thing. We know and everyone is finding out that there is fees when you sign up for Patreon, that Apple charges when you sign up when you use your iPhone.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah, the podcasters you love. We're not doing this. This is an Apple thing.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

We don't get a dollar of that. We don't want a dollar of that.

[Julie Benzavalli]

We don't want any of this to be happening.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

So there is a workaround. All you're gonna do is sign up on a if you want to join our Patreon and you're on Apple and you don't want to pay those extra couple bucks, which obviously just go to your Browser. Go to patreon.com truecom obsessed and sign up there. And then you will not pay those extra fees with Apple.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah, and you can do it on like Safari. You can do it on your laptop, you can do it on your phone. Just don't do it through the app. Do it on.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

We think it is so annoying and we are not happy about it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

We're not thrilled about it. We are thrilled about our new merch.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

However, the new merch is open for everybody. It's so cute. Y' all wanted live like you want to be sent for merch. It is there. It's really, really cute stuff. There's golden and Fiona stuff.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yes, it's very, very fun. There's like cute alligators and crocodiles in love.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It' oh, the crocodiles in love. I forgot about that.

[Julie Benzavalli]

The alligator and crocodile.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes, yes, you're right. You're right. Just go to truecrabbsts.com, click on the merch link. It's all right there. There you go, girl. What are we talking about today?

[Julie Benzavalli]

We're talking about Con Mum on Netflix. You know what?

[Graham]

She's got businesses all over the world. We're talking like hundreds of millions.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I remember thinking, your life is changing. You're going to have a lot of money.

[Heather]

I wish we had received that email. It was the start of something which you never in a million years thought was going to happen.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Thank you, darling. If I die soon, you're matching eliminate.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She said, you know, I'm a legitimate.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Child, but a sultan of Brunei.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Thank you, darling.

[Graham]

Everybody's talking to her like she's their mum.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

What?

[Graham]

Why is everyone calling mum?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Thank you, darling.

[Graham]

She spoke like 18 languages. Crazy.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She was convinced everything was true.

[Heather]

Who is this woman?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Everything could turn out to be fake.

[Graham]

Why would I not believe her?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Thank you, darling. If the grandpa don't say nothing. Thank you, darling.

[Heather]

Where is the proof that she is actually your mom?

[Julie Benzavalli]

He will lose his friends, family, lose everything.

[Heather]

He really longs to feel love.

[Graham]

Which way do you go? Which way?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I do all my power to give you you. Right at the top we meet Graham and I guess he is kind of a famous pastry chef.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He's a Michelin starred pastry chef and consultant. He's like a world renowned and celebrated chef.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Like, can you imagine being good at being like making desserts?

[Julie Benzavalli]

No. No.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Okay. I don't really have any need for desserts. I don't really like desserts, but I Would love to know how to make a cake.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And this guy really is at the top of his field.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

At one point, he works for an international restaurant group, quote, running 47 restaurants globally.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And he was responsible for over 120 pastry chefs working in 20 different kitchens. That's crazy.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That's a lot of pastry. That's a lot of people eating a lot of dessert. You know what I mean?

[Julie Benzavalli]

He loves what he does. He's good at it. Yeah, whatever. Let's move on to Heather, because I like Heather a lot more.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Okay, tell us everything.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Well, Heather met Graham when they worked together.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Then they fell in love. They got married. They had so much fun together. They were traveling. They were cooking things. They were eating the things they were cooking. They met at the perfect time. They sort of were like, wait, is this for real? Like, we love each other. We have the same goals. We're having fun. Like, is this a reality?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Heather is amaz.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Heather rules.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Heather really does rule.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Heather's been through it and back.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. And she's about to go through it all over again. I mean, it's never a good thing when you're hearing a documentary, and it's.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Called Con Mum, so no spoilers. But the mom sucks. Like, right? Do I. Do we have to hide it? And, like, wait till we get there. To the big reveal. It's in the name. The first word is con. This mother sucks. Not Heather.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Heather's awesome.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Heather's awesome.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But this mom. Freaking. This mom is the worst.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, she's really bad. And we've seen bad moms. We just said Southern fried lies.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

We're surrounded.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

We talked about Lori Valo on this.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And, like, recently.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know, I know, I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So Graham grew up with a lot of trauma. He was like. And he was so happy.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Dad also sucked.

[Julie Benzavalli]

His dad also sucked. And he was happy with Heather. But Heather explains that, like, Graham didn't.

[Heather]

Know who his real mom was. It was almost like something was missing in his life. It was a piece of the puzzle that just wasn't explained, wasn't there. And I think he really, really longed to feel love and to feel that sort of connection with family.

[Julie Benzavalli]

There was a lot of trauma that Graham never really dealt with. He was just sort of, like, chasing this happy life that was very real and happy. But he wasn't really unpacking his childhood.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

No. And to be clear, Graham did not grow up with his mom. Like, he tells us, he was born. He went into the foster care system at two for a year. We don't know why. He doesn't know why. Then he goes back to live with his dad. His mom is out of the picture, he's got a stepmom, but his dad is just like an emotionless, just fucking.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He's an abusive guy who was very abusive to Graham. And he also at the same time time didn't tell Graham anything about his birth mother. So for Graham that's all connected. Like he's abusive and he's keeping Graham from his mother.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Who he doesn't know anything about. So he sort of invented, you know, it's just, it's hard, right?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It's a very hard, very hard childhood and it's painful.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So Graham didn't really think about it and he wanted that connection and he wanted the answers to all of these questions. And so one day they're like having a cleaning frenzy, as I call it, where you're like, get all the boxes we've, we haven't looked at in 10 years and just like clean it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I've never had one of those, like.

[Julie Benzavalli]

A decluttering cleaning frenzy.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

No. Steve will force me to have those days. But I'm that person who could just live with everything being in the closet. I know anyone who's done it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You know the feeling where you're like, here's how to do this. I'm going to take everything out and put it all over the floor. And then an hour into it, your whole life is on the floor and you're like, but I'm hungry now. I know, I want to do that other thing now. Oh, there's something sparkly over there now. And then you're just like walking through the piles.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I once single handedly moved my mother out of her apartment into a nursing home.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Tough.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

So I mean, I did it alone over a weekend. I went through all of my mother's stuff. And I mean, so I have done this, that's all. I just wanted to pass the back for that.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Oh great. You did a thing. Amazing.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I did a really, really nice thing.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean it's tough. That is very tough. But in one of those moments, they're cleaning one day they find Graham's birth certificate.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And his mother's name is on it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Her name is Hatton Horngold. And I said she definitely teaches at Hogwarts. I mean, like, how does.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, she sucks. It makes total sense. Totally, totally, totally in that turf university or whatever. So they like Google her, they want to find her and they come up empty and Heather's like, it's like this woman didn't exist.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

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[Julie Benzavalli]

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[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

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[Julie Benzavalli]

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[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

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[Julie Benzavalli]

And they can be for anything. They can be like, oh, I need some extra money for rent or oh, I forgot so and so's birthday's coming up. Or like, I just feel like going to the movies and I love some extra cash.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I'm gonna get that fancy bottle of wine this week.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You know what I mean?

[Julie Benzavalli]

That new dress is looking very cute in the window. I want it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

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[Julie Benzavalli]

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[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

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[Julie Benzavalli]

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[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

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[Julie Benzavalli]

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[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

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[Julie Benzavalli]

So after a few months, they give up. They don't really think about it anymore.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

This is the kind of thing I'd get my teeth into, though. I think if I found my birth certificate, it gave me clues to find my long lost mom. I think I would not stop. I think that's why you would lose me for a month.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Well, here's the thing. Heather gets pregnant.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So they don't care about the birth certificate anymore. They're way too happy. They are ecstatic.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because remember, everything was great. They had like this thriving Business together. They loved each other. Now they're gonna have a baby. Everything's perfect.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And also, like, this is one week after finding out that they're pregnant. Covid hits. And they're kind of thrilled about it because like in England everything just shut down.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And so everybody stayed home.

[Graham]

We did nothing but basically work on our hobbies.

[Heather]

It was just an amazing period to actually spend quality time together. Playing around in the kitchen and developing recipes and just cooking and eating and feeding each other and looking after each other.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Best time of our relationship.

[Graham]

Not gonna lie. Best time of our relationship.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

We cooked. We ate the food that we cooked. She's living with a Michelin star chef.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, you know, things could not be better for them. And this is when this horrible woman enters their lives. I swear these people can smell happiness.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And then they show up to ruin it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

So they get an email from this woman claiming to be Graham's birth mother. He's confused, he's wondering if this could be real. She said that she'd been searching for a way to contact him. Her name is Dion, formerly Theresa.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Flag number one.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. But she knows stuff. She knows that Graham was born in Germany and then taken to England. And Graham says almost nobody who knows me knows that. They. Everybody thinks I was born in England. But it's not true.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right. But he is a little famous.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And so kind of known. Also my first thought is DNA tests. DNA tests and all these questions and.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

We will get there eventually. Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So he's like, I'm a little famous and like he's kind of known in an industry. So he's asking her things that only she would know. Middle name. Haha. He doesn't have one.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So this woman has all the right answers.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She does.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Except no one's giving her the DNA test. Which we will get to.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. Because we're going to learn really quickly that Graham really, really wants this to be true.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It doesn't. Yeah. He, you know, he almost doesn't want to take the DNA test because what if it's not true?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So they go to Liverpool to meet Dion. She's staying in a hotel there and she's offering to put them up.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly. And like right from the jump, she seems like a woman of means.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And we see all of this, like we get camera footage immediately. So we have a lot of footage of this mother.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. They look identical by the way. They look a lot alike.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And Graham feels the bond right away. He feels complete, like he's been. Imagine you've been Dreaming of this moment, your whole life, it kind of falls into your lap.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. Because he says, the feeling I had.

[Graham]

When I first met her was not to be a baby, but it felt like I was somebody's baby, but I.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Felt like I was someone's baby for the first time.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And then he turns into a big fucking baby soon enough. Takes him a week to become I knowing, blathering baby.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know. I mean, I get it a little. The lengths that he allows himself to be deceived is unbelievable.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He turns into a manipulative, abusive asshole in about.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It's true. It's true. But there is a part of me that does understand that. Kind of, like, I never had any parenting. And now she's here and, you know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I totally get it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. But unfortunately, we are in another documentary where we're doing it with you. A person who sees the truth for exactly what it is. From second one of everything. I understand your frustration.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And Heather agrees.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because, like, we can't. Like, Dion was very, very nice to Heather. She should be.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Excuse me. She wants a medal.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And you know what was amazing? My mom was nice to my pregnant wife.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Like, but seriously, it's like. And let's give her flowers for that. No, she gets. Give me those fucking flowers back. She doesn't get a single one.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Because the thing about Dion the mom is like, you need to be earning your place in this family. You're the one that left. You know what I mean?

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm new here.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You're new here.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You fell forcibly into our fucking laps. She's also touching Heather's baby bump way too much. I hate that for Heather.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I hate that, too.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You know, she's not asking this woman, like, I'm sure she's air quotes nice, but she still comes in like she's been here from the beginning in the worst way.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She's still overbearing. She's way too touchy with Heather. She's almost like, oh, I'm the mother. I get to do whatever I want. No, you don't. No, you don't like this entitlement.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Well, and also, Heather is telling us that Dion is alluding to the idea that Graham was forcibly taken from her for ripped away. Yeah. In Germany. She didn't want to let him go. So it's building this sad narrative of, like, I've been looking for you my whole life.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right. And people kept us apart. Oh, my God. Now this is all the least of our concerns because Dion drops a bomb on Graham. They met two Hours ago. And now she tells him. Oh, my God, I can't believe I found you. Good thing she had six months to.

[Graham]

Live, because she had a brain tumor. And marrow bone cancer.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And bone marrow.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Bone marrow cancer. Like, oh, my God.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Now Graham finally. Just put yourself in Graham's shoes. Finally knows his mother after all of this time, and she's dying in six months.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

There's a ticking clock.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, my God, of course. And there's a new baby on the way. Like, it's. It's. It's awful.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Which is all by design, the emotional rollercoaster of this. Dion knew exactly what she was doing because she.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He says, I've just found her, and now I'm gonna lose her again.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So now it's like, well, now we have to do all the things that Dion wants to do before she dies.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You monster. She's dying.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I have a note here that says if she's fucking faking cancer, I qu.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Well, bye. Welcome to the last episode.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I guess, like, oh, my God. I know. I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You know, like, she wants to see the ocean one last time. So now everything she wants to do, we have to do because she's dying.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And we just met her.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So what are you gonna do? Take this away from Graham, too? Even if she's an overbearing, manipulative nightmare, which she is.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Heather can't say a word about any of this. She can't be annoyed about it. She can't be anything. Any normal feeling that she's feeling, she can't have.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She can't have. But initially, Heather is along for the ride. She's game. She's happy for her husband, isn't it? I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Everything was fine, and now she's like.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

The world shut down. And I got my husband all to myself.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She's like. Six months, huh?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

All right, Tick tock.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Do we have a firm date on that? Or is it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Could it be four?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Is it six? Ish.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Is it. Is it, like. Is it. Are we. Are we, like. Are we just trying to be hopeful with the six? Is it really three? Fingers crossed.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Honestly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Six weeks, did you say? Or months? Are you sure you said months or six weeks?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Well, let's see.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Days.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Hours, minutes. So, Dion's backstory.

[Graham]

My mum had lived in Singapore. She told me that she's got businesses all over the world. Farms, Passion fruits, mangoes. Whatever it is, having multiples of these businesses. Palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Whatever it is, having multiples of all these businesses. Red flag.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know. She's got. She's taking calls with associates all over the world, speaking 18 languages. I was like, first of all, are there 18 languages?

[Julie Benzavalli]

There are like thousands of languages.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Just kidding.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Here's a question.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Look on your face.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Why is this jet setting woman who's apparently very successful and has a ton of resources, why did it take her all this time to find her son?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And why is nobody asking that question?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Like, I don't understand other things she's doing, which makes me crazy and is such a red flag. Everyone has to see her as their mother.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Even if you're in business with her, everyone has to call her like, mommy or grandmom. And I'm like, that's fudgeing weird.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But it's a major red flag.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It's a major red flag. And like, even in business, you're in business. That's not your mother.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, we're going to meet a guy down the road who, like, doesn't even know that he's in business. Like, these people.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Like, so. And according to Dion, she's a saint. She's saving villages. She's giving people food and money. She's everyone's mother. And I'm like, this is a red flag. Are you guys crazy? So of course there's like videos of Dion being amazing and like saving lives. And like Graham is there when people are calling her.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So there's a lot of just shit we've seen a million times.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And so Dion decides she wants to come to London to be near her son. And she comes, she's staying in five star hotel, ordering the best champagne and caviar. And they're just like, holy shit. Like, she's got money and everyone in.

[Julie Benzavalli]

The hotel knows her.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

The staff is like, oh, she stays here all the time. She's one of our best customers. And I'm like, again, she's always in London where her kind of famous son lives.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Never thought to look him up when it's millions of dollars.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So here's another. I'm like, red flag after red flag. My arms are so tired from waving the red flags in everyone's faces.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Do you hear the people? Oh, my God.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So she's super wealthy. How you ask? Two ways. One quote, her business acumen. That's not an answer.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

What does that mean? J?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

If we're gonna lie, I remember that they said her business acumen, but I changed it to her businesses. One, her businesses.

[Julie Benzavalli]

What does that mean?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Her, like mango farms.

[Julie Benzavalli]

If we're Gonna lie then be like, I was one of the first investors in Apple. If we're lying, lie. But business acumen is not the answer to that question.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

No, no.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Number two.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Okay, this is great.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Pull over. You are not her second reason for being filthy rich. Are you ready?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You're not ready.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm gonna wait.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Are you stopped?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Wait.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Okay.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Buckle up anyway.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Totally. Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I wanna hear the click.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Okay, great.

[Julie Benzavalli]

This is a direct quote from her, so I don't wanna hear it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Graham]

She tells me that she is the illegitimate child of the former Sultan of Brunei.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She is the illegitimate child of the former Sultan of Brunei. Graham is like, oh, my God. That makes total sense. Because luxury five star hotel she's staying in is owned by the Brunei family. That's why everyone knows her again.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Wait, wait a second.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She's the illegitimate child. They're quotes. Of the former Sultan of Brunei. How does that make her rich?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Did he pay her off? And if he paid her off, that would mean everyone is ignoring her.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because calling herself the quote, illegitimate child. Her term.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Implies that she's a secret and she got. Shut up. Money.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But if she's saying that she's getting money for simply existing as she's in her 80s and not active in the Royal family. Family in any way, like this doesn't make any sense.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And we are once again in that world where everybody's benefiting from her money, so nobody's asking any questions.

[Julie Benzavalli]

We also live in a world where it's 2020. All of this is Googleable.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But nobody wants to Google it because the caviar is awful good today.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Because the caviar is awful good.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I've never had caviar.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I have.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm scared of it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It sounds awful, but it's delicious.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It scares me.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

What does it taste like?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It's salty. But like you put it on crackers with sour cream. It's really, really good.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Really? Yeah.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. It's the kind of thing that sounds like it shouldn't be good, but it is.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Not to sound like a total pick me asshole, but another reason I don't like caviar and I don't like champagne.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, my God, you don't like champagne.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It makes my stomach hurt. And I like bubbles, I like seltzer, I like all that. But champagne, I'm always like, ah, give me a vodsa. Like a double bubble.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, let's get right. I mean, if we're doing this, we're.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Doing, you know, what I mean, champagne is like, it doesn't. So I'd be like, you know what.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I sometimes think about is bottle of.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Tito's and I'm good to go.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But otherwise, truly our. Our number two episode on Patreon is the Queen of Versailles and that woman sitting down for Christmas for opening presents under the tree with her box of caviar. I mean, opening. She gave herself a box of caviar for Christmas and she's eating it while the kids are opening their presents.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I always just think of you. You've got mail. That caviar is a garnish. Tom X takes all of the caviar. Meg Ryan is horrified. She's so cute. Travel down the road.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Back again, girl. Home Chef is back. Guess what? We are having shrimp quesadillas in I house tonight.

[Julie Benzavalli]

No way.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I'm so hungry and I've been looking forward to them. We took them out of the box. I'm like, I cannot wait to eat these.

[Julie Benzavalli]

All right, let's talk about Home Chef.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Please, please.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Home Chef delivers fresh ingredients and chef design recipes conveniently to your doorstep to simplify your cooking experience.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. And fam. Users of leading meal kits have ranked Home Chef number one in quality, convenience, value, taste and recipe. Easy. Look, I'm making the quesadillas tonight. Even I can do it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So here's the thing though, because they have all these different menus, right? You could do like the classic meal kits with pre portioned ingredients. That's one option. You could do quick 30 minute recipes. They have oven ready options. They have meals that you just throw right in microwave instead of that awful conversation, what are we doing for dinner?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know, I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

How about you pick what you're having for dinner all week. And if you have a busy week, you're like, oh, I'll use the microwavable meal this week. Oh, I'll do the 30 minute, whatever.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And also it's super economical. Home Chef customers save an average of 86 bucks per month on groceries. They're not even talking about ordering.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Ordering.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

The ordering is like, I'm not a mathematician, but it is so, so, so.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Much more fees on fees on fees.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Correct? Not yet. Yeah. No. Oh, can I talk about these five ingredient meals? Yeah, it's exactly what it sounds like. They've got five ingredients. It's super easy to make if it's. If you just, just don't feel like it. But you know you gotta cook something tonight. Their five ingredient meals just make it so simple. And that's where I started. By the way.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah, they're like really easy recipes and they just have five fresh pre portioned ingredients. Make it very simple.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

100% so fam. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering our listeners 50% off and free shipping for your first box, plus free dessert for life. I mean, I know. Go to homechef.com tco that's homechef.com tco for 50% off your first box and free dessert. Free for life.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Home chef.com TCO must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert. Come on now.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And. But, you know, it's my favorite thing. You eat the free dessert as you're unboxing the box. That's the hack, obviously.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So, yeah, they don't want to Google this because, well, first of all, he wanted his mother in his life and she happens to be fudgeing filthy rich.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And she's dying in six months and.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He'Ll probably get the rest of her fortune.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

All of it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

This is great.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That's the whole point.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So two things that happen to be happening, though, like she. She is seemingly known by people in the hotel.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She does seemingly have a lot of money because Graham is getting all these gifts, like cars.

[Graham]

I've never had a decent car when I met my mum. However, son, I haven't seen you for 45 years. You've never had a present from me. I'm going to buy you a present. I'm going to take away 45 years of pain. Those were her exact words. Let's go and get you something.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She gets him a Land Rover.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Well, they go to the Rolls Royce place where they know her and the guy's like, she just bought two Phantoms. I googled it. Phantoms start at over $500,000. She says that's like the lowest you can pay.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And she bought two of them.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That's what the guy says. So you're Graham. Right. And you're like. She says the Sultan of Brunei thing. Nothing makes sense. I'm definitely not Googling her. But then you have people in real time.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

At the hotel, at the Rolls Royce place. And it makes Graham think, like, all.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right, it's got to be real.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I hit the jackpot.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. And like, obviously, we know this is. This isn' It's. We can say when we learn how she's doing this, it's kind of like, oh, right, this is how everybody does this.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So he gets a Land Rover, Heather gets a BMW.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Now, two months after meeting Dion, Heather gives birth to their son.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It's a very Traumatic labor.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She says she was on a blood transfusion for five hours. Like it was very, very, very bad. Very, very hard on Heather. But everyone is fine now and everything's amazing. Heather's okay, their son is okay. They're basking in the fact that their parents, Heather, survived this thing. They have this beautiful little baby.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

No sooner than this baby is born.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Here comes Dion to R. I mean.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

One minute later, the mom calls and then texts a photo of a toilet full of blood.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She's peeing blood. Here's another red flag. The photo is proof.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Most people would just be like, heard, stay home.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right. Exactly. Right. I mean, literally, a photo of the toilet, like that was the grossest thing.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Now because there's Heather.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Who the mother hates anyway.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Now a newborn baby, Right? Of course, more attention to take Graham away from her.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I said, as GP would say, this train is never late.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Never late. And then there's Dion and the sky is falling and she needs all the attention. Heather almost died.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. And there's a baby.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And now there's a baby. And now. But everyone look at Dion and the blood piss or whatever. Now Graham is like, well, oh no, I can't leave my wife and newborn.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I also can't leave this essential stranger who happens to be his 85 year old mother, dying of cancer.

[Graham]

And in my mind it's easier if they're both in the same house and then at least then I can try to be there for both. But obviously it's not ideal.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You know what I mean?

[Graham]

It's not really ideal, is it? So I went and collected her.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Dion moves in with Heather and the baby and Graham. Because of course she does.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh my God, of course she does. Of course she does. And Heather says she went from being like lovely to me to completely changing the way that she talks to me.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And also once Dion moves in, she's fine. Yesterday she was sending photos of herself in bed, unable to go on. Now she's at the house being a.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Bossy nightmare, sending pictures of me like.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That on a fucking faint couch.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I can't do it, Jillian. I just can't go on today.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But like sobbing hysterically.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And now she's being a bossy nightmare and being mean to Heather.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know. Calling Heather selfish.

[Julie Benzavalli]

We hear audio of it and Heather, you're a very bossy lady. Excuse me.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

This is where I'm like, whoa. Like, this is where Graham, by saying nothing, is starting to show his real colors.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And I got to tell you people who don't fake cancer pull this shit.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You need to be stopped. People like this need to be stopped. You are in. You are not owned time with people's babies, whether they're your grandkids or whatever like this in any way. Heather had an incredibly hard birth.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Give her space. Leave her alone. You're new here.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You're new here.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And Graham, the husband is blinded by the idea of money.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And stand up to the stranger and protect your wife and your baby. What is wrong with you?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But that is very common sense. I think that this is an extreme example. Like, I think most people would be doing it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I would hope so. But I've heard stories of people just like letting their in laws walk or letting like their parents walk all over their spouse. And. And I'm like, can you get a backbone?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That would be insane to me. Yeah. Like. Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I've seen people do it without the idea of money, without the.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, right. Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

The. The hope of money.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Unbelievable.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So Heather says, and this is also incredibly heartbreaking that like again, Heather just. They were at nine months of being excited about this baby, then they have this very hard. Heather goes through this very hard traumatic labor. And now Heather says there was no room for me to be a mom.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Dion was the only mom. And she. And Heather wasn't allowed to celebrate it because it's not as dramatic and as this guy meeting his mother and she's dying in six months.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And Heather says the experience of being a new mother was robbed from me.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, that's horrifying.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Horrifying.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because Dion has to win being a mother. She has to win drama. She has to win trauma once again.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She's not been in their lives for 40 years.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She's a stranger.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She's been there for weeks.

[Julie Benzavalli]

They just met.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

They just met.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So two months after their son is born, Dion, who is now two months from death, has never been to a doctor's appointment and is the healthiest terminally ill cancer patient. Scamanda is off to Switzerland.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She's going to Switzerland.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Why? Because she needs money. She needs access to the money in those Swiss bank accounts.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. She's got to take Graham with her because he's probably. He's going to inherit all the money. So he's got to be there to sign the paperwork.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So the plan is, let's go to Switzerland again. She's dying of two different types of cancer.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

The baby is a couple of weeks old, and Graham is being asked and voluntarily manipulated. But it's Also, we only meant to be four days. It's going to be four days when go sign the paperwork. We're going to be set for life.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right?

[Heather]

And Heather's like, if I'm honest, I was like, go to Switzerland. Give me some peace and quiet for four days.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Not a problem.

[Heather]

Just get out of my space for a bit.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She literally is so thrilled to have both of them the fuck out of her hair. Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And she's. And honestly, wouldn't you be?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Everything was great before this woman came along, and now she's kind of seeing the true colors of her shitty husband. And she's like, where? How did I get here?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. And it really. It really.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Everything was fine.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It comes down to the money. It really. More than the mother. It comes down to he wants the money.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I know we always say to follow the money, but not like this.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Not like this.

[Julie Benzavalli]

This is not how we meet it. No.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

One more thing. Before I'm getting on the plane with this woman to go to swear I would be giving it a go. Is this real? Is it really worth me leaving my. My family for four days?

[Julie Benzavalli]

He doesn't want to do that because he wants the money to be real.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right. And we won't learn until the end that she says things to him like, I don't care if you don't trust me. If you don't trust me, then forget me.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Manipulation.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right. Like, I'm not taking a DNA test. If you want to, either you believe me or get out of my life.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Say that to me.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right. Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Why should you do that to me?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right? And it's like, Dion, I just want to. For both of us, I want to prove, like, don't you. If. What if I'm not your actual son? Don't you want to leave your money to actual son? You know what I mean? But that's what I would be saying in response to her. Like, let's. Let's just, like, make sure that this is legit again.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You're a stranger.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You came to me on the Internet, right?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes, exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Like, if you really take a step back and look at it, and I'm sure Heather, once she was out of the chaos tornado, she becomes like, she's.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

The only one who can see this clearly for what it is. Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So while they're there in Switzerland, Graham calls a friend to meet up for a pint, and I'm like, please, can we get some fresh eyes on this? Please can we get an outsider to be like, what the fuck is going on at the Very least, your mom's creepy.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Treating you like a child and a baby.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Also though, as soon as they get there, they're checking into five star hotels, eating at michelin star restaurants, everything. She's meeting with bankers. She's telling him, oh, we need to get you $20 million because we're going to open this bank account for you. This is no problem. Yeah. I mean. And so then Graham meets up with his friend Juan, who ends up being the fucking hero of this story.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, Heather first for sure, but so we see. This is so disgusting.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

We see video of Dion feeding Graham birthday cake. And she says, and I quote, this is so barfy. I hope you didn't like start driving again. No, no.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

They know. They've stayed pulled over.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Okay, I'm gonna say something and I'm sorry to say it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Okay?

[Julie Benzavalli]

But everyone has to know.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Okay?

[Julie Benzavalli]

If I have to do it, you have to do it. Okay, Mommy put in your mouth.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, no.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yes.

[Graham]

This is way too tweet.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Mommy puts it in your mouth. He's 45 years old. He's regressing because he never had a mother. And now he's acting like a baby. And Juan was like, it was fucking weird, man.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know, mom.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He was acting like a tod.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know, I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Like, oh, but this is what she does to everybody. We will say that everyone has to be treated like a little newborn baby around her. It's bizarre.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And like, I'm kind of shocked that she didn't try to co op their actual real newborn baby.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, maybe we didn't see that, but this, she seems like the type where, I mean, she definitely tried to oust Heather and Heather wasn't having it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I think. Heather. Yeah, maybe with another woman. She might have tried that. But Heather was never going to let that happen.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But every, every, everyone, like, especially she's making these, if we're to believe her.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Multi tens of millions of dollar deals. And everyone has to be like, hi.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Mommy, the cake mummy puts it in your mouth.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Can you stand it?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That is so disgusting.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She should.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I mean, no one should be mama bear.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, so now they have to meet the banker dealer. No deal.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

They have to go meet the banker and do this very high level banking because we're talking over $20 million.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And like, Graham is very impressed because they're summoned to the bank after hours. They're taken to some that he feels like only dignitaries and heads of state.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He brings Juan with him.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know Graham. He was born to be dazzled by this kind of thing. And I think maybe somewhere in his mind, he thinks, you know what? I deserve this. I've had a shitty life. I didn't get to have my parents. Now I get to be wined and dined for the. Like, I deserve this.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah. And for. There's a part of me that absolutely understands, like, this is trauma and this is. He's regressing and all that. But that goes out the window very quickly because he's just happy to be manipulated, it feels like.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right, Right. It'd be one thing if he was single and didn't have a kid. And, like, he's just, like, letting himself blindly be brainwashed, but he lets Heather.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Be abused by his mother and himself.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And when you break it down to its simplest form, he's putting the money in the mom over his family. He's literally. He's prioritizing, not his wife and child.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And they. They very quick, seemingly very quickly, like, stop having conversations as a couple, as a partnership, as a pair, as a team, as a duo. And it's very much their adversaries kind of quickly.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And that's Graham's doing 100%.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And so after all of these days in Switzerland, meeting with all these fancy banker types, nothing actually gets signed.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Nothing. Because our finances are a mess. The businesses are scattered all over the place, and I'm like, another red flag. This is weird. If you have $20 million, you should be organized. And it's like, where's your financial advisor?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Cut to Graham, who's seeing that nothing is getting signed. Hearing the bankers say, like, this isn't all adding up. Cut to Graham going.

[Heather]

Graham starts talking about, you know, generational wealth.

[Graham]

It was amazing, the thought as a father that your family didn't have to worry not having to worry about money. Tell me anyone who wouldn't think that.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He is willingly being blind to everything that is right in front of him.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He's also sitting in front of a camera for Netflix to justify his actions.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And he's very defensive to this day. He's angry that we would question why he would believe this.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right. So he's saying, well, wouldn't you?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Generational wealth for the. Till the end of time. But what's weird, Graham.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Is that. But we get. Because nothing is. Everything's going to take much, much, much, much longer than anticipated. It's not just a long weekend anymore. But we get all this video from the hotel. Dion is happy and smiling. Fancy champagne. No more blood in the toilet.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

No more blood no more.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I simply can't go on.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She's as healthy as can be. Because once she has Graham away from Heather.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It's all fun and games.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Totally. And now we're with Heather and she's like, I'm in London. Graham's in Switzerland. She says one day she looks at their accounts and sees that a large sum has been transferred to Graham's personal account from their joint account. Asks him about it. He says it's going to Dion because she couldn't get money out of the bank because of COVID So Graham is saying, my billionaire mother needed me to lend her some. A significant amount of our savings because she just couldn't access her funds in the moment. But don't worry, she's going to pay us back.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You couldn't just get a Bud Light, right? You couldn't adjust in any way. You couldn't stay somewhere else. You couldn't not do this. That's number one.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right?

[Julie Benzavalli]

But also that's abuse in and of itself for him to be taken. Taking an insane amount of money from his wife, not telling her to give it to this person. You just met.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Girl. Haya is back. Look. These are the vitamins for the kiddos. We love them. I was just telling you, we just got our new bottle of Haya. Daisy ripped it out of our hands to go decorate her bottle. Because they send it with stickers.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah. Let me tell you something. Back in the day.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And typically, even today, children's vitamins are basically candy. Totally. They're candy in disguise. They have like two teaspoons of sugar of unhealthy chemicals, all these like gummy additives that growing kids should never eat. No.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

We know that most of the children's vitamins have 5 grams of sugar. Right? Haya is made with zero sugar and zero gummy additives.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And it tastes awesome. I know. A lot of us have picky eaters at home.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I gotta tell you, I can really attest to this. Daisy looks forward to taking her Haya every she asks us about it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That's why this is why we're doing this.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Okay? And fam. Are you tired of battling with your kids to eat their grapes? Get this high end now has kids daily greens plus superfoods, which is a chocolate flavored greens powder designed specifically for kids, packed with 55 plus whole food ingredients to support brain power, development and digestion. And it's. Daisy loves it. We do this all the time. A couple times a week, you just scoop, you shake and you sip with milk or Any non dairy beverage as a delicious and nutritious boost your kids will actually enjoy. I cannot tell you how good it makes me feel to know that she's actually getting her first fruits and veggies. Finally, we're tricking her into doing it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Well, don't. Not too loud.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I love tricking.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That the kids might be in the wrong.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You're right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

All right. So the same multivitamin that more than a million kids and parents love are now available with Disney's the Lion King with a new Lion King unboxing experience, including the Lion King bottle and Lion King stickers.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And we've worked out a special deal with Haya for their bestselling children's vitamins. Receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal, you must go to high hyahealth.com tco this deal is.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Not available on their regular website. Go to h I y a h e a l t h.com tco to get your kids the full body nourishment they need to grow into healthy adults.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Daisy loves it all. I'm telling you, she loves it all.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And the Lion King.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I mean, I want to go out of order here a little bit because it takes the documentary a little bit too long to explain this. The way that Dion runs her scam, the money that she was spending on all of that, the caviar in the five star restaurants. When she first met Graham and Heather, she had scammed somebody just before that previous in this exact same way. So now while she's with Graham in Switzerland, she's going to start scamming other people. And Graham's not going to know about.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It because what she does is, is say, I'm going to give you $20 million for your business.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That money's locked up. If you could just give me 100 grand now.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yep, yep.

[Julie Benzavalli]

For the 20 million I will give you. It's kind of a drop in the bucket, Right?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And you believe it because she's been spending tens of thousands of dollars. Hadn't lent her, but we know she got that from the people she scammed. Right before she met you.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Exactly.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

So she's going to take this money that Graham is lending her and Graham is lending her this money because he believes she's good for it because he's been seeing her spend tens of thousands of dollars and she's going to now use Graham's money to start scamming the next people while she's still scamming Graham. It's genius. It's evil. It's evil to the core. But it is. It's a Ponzi scheme.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah. People have been doing it since the beginning of time.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right. And what I'm saying is, fam, if any, there's hundreds of thousands of you that are going to hear this. Our episode. Episode of this. This is going to happen to one.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Of you or someone you know.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Or someone you know. This is how they do it. So when you are believing that person and lending them money because you've seen them spend money, this is how they got it. So that's.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I just want someone else's stolen money.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly. I want to be very clear about how she's doing it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah. Also because of COVID Exactly. What does that mean? They're jet setting from London to Switzerland, not a mask in sight.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

No.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And it's weird that everyone else can access their money, but she can't access her money because of COVID Exactly.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And, but, but Graham is in. He's hook, line and sinker in. He doesn' need an explanation.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And I'm being hard on Graham and I think for good reason. But like, no one else questions it either.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

We, we will meet, quote, business associates later and they're all like, oh, yeah, because of COVID But I gave her 50 grand.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yep. And Graham is here to say, like that first transaction was £25,000, which is about $32,000. Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That's a lot of money in general. It is an unacceptable amount of money to keep from your wife who's sitting at home with your newborn.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Just the idea that they just had $25,000 in savings that he could just take without asking.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, that's a conversation where you have a newborn baby at home, she's by herself, you say, look, my, like, that's what I mean. They're not working together as a couple and as a partnership and as a team. Because now he's instantly manipulating Heather.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. Because he knows she knows she would.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Say no and he doesn't want to deal with it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And he, if she, if she said no and mom doesn't get the money, that's going to blow up his relationship with his mother.

[Julie Benzavalli]

This is financial abuse.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He's already becoming an abuser, whether he knows it or not.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

So he's becoming an abuser, but he's also being. He's been completely brainwashed. He believes what the mom is telling instantly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He was a perfect mark. She should have done this years ago.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Totally.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because honestly, like, this is the guy. Because he needed a mother so badly. And I understand the trauma of needing that. I'm not, of course, talking that, but, like, you gotta, of course, kind of look at something with reality a little bit when everything. When so many. Every single thing this woman says needs an explanation. It's a problem.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Y. Well, and now Heather is saying. And, like, remember that trip to Switzerland was supposed to be.

[Heather]

The trip to Switzerland is initially supposed to be four days long. After the four days, Graham tells me, oh, the paperwork wasn't ready. The lawyer wasn't ready. We need to stay for a few more days. I'm like, fine, Stay for a few more days.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He's extending by days and days.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And the longer they stay, the more money's being spent on hotels and dinners, bottles of wine, champagne, caviar.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But it's also, like, the longer that Heather doesn't have to deal with the mom, so she's kind of like, like, fine, stay.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But also the more Graham is being isolated.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes, exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Now, Juan. Juan the friend is here every step of the way. Thank God.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Dion is immediately calling him grandson. He's calling her grandma. She's gonna give him millions of dollars. Cause he's family now.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

They go house hunting.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yep.

[Julie Benzavalli]

For one. We see the photos.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I mean, we see the photos, and like, Deon says to Graham in front of Juan, I'm gonna give him money. How much money do you think I should give him? And. And. And Graham just says, how about 3.5 million? They're just t. They're tossing out numbers. Juan is like. Juan has got a strong. She's kind of like, what the hell is going on here? They're looking at these houses, and Juan is like, I don't even want these houses. He's saying to Dion, you buy this house for me. Like, that's so nice. I could never afford to maintain this house. I don't want it. It's too big for me. She's like, I'm not giving you 3.5 million. I'm going to give you $7 million. You'll be able to maintain anything. I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Even me saying it. I'm like, I don't care. Stop talking.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know. I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Such bullshit.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And then she's like, the only thing is, I just. I don't actually have the money today. We just. We need to wait a little super.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Liquid at the moment.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Not super liquid. So one is then at the table with Dion when Graham goes to the bathroom. And now Dion leaned over to Juan and says, look, I always help people. I want to help. I want to help you. But in Order for me to help you. I need something from you. I need money from you.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And most importantly, don't tell Graham. Now Juan's like, I'm sorry, what?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. Right away, Juan sees right through that.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She just promised this guy a mansion plus $7 million. Now she's whispering about needing money from him, but don't tell Graham.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly. And. And one just says, sorry, I can't do it. Like, it's not going to happen. But like, but thanks anyway.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And he's kind of snapped out of the spell. And like, just her asking this to him makes him go like, oh, my. My gut was right the whole time. This is weird. I'm not calling you grandma anymore.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

No. But also he can't tell Graham because he knows that Graham is too in it. And he doesn't know that Graham's given her money. You know what I mean? Like, he doesn't realize how big the scheme is.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But he says, and we've been here before. He says, if I said anything negative about his mother, it would ruin my friendship with him.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And I'm like, but at that point, just say it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because he's taken everyone down with Heather and his baby at home.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Well, but the only reason I'm glad he didn't is because ultimately it's going to be Juan who's going to be. Who's going to get through to him in the end. And maybe Juan knows. He's like, I got to stick around because I'm going to be the. Because Heather's too close. Right. Heather's going to start to see this for exactly what it is.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And she. Now Heather is saying the trip keeps getting extended.

[Heather]

These few more days became more days and more days. I'm in a house by myself, no family support, first baby. You know, I was going to my neighbor to get my neighbor to go and buy milk and stuff from the supermarket.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She's asking her neighbors to go shopping for her.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That would suck because you know what she's going through.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And you're just choosing not to help her.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And like. But then it cuts to Graham and he's like, well, I mean, of course I wanted to be with my family, but my mom kept pushing the meeting with the bankers and like, what was I gonna do? Turn down my billion dollar fortune?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Also, it's a 90 minute flight.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Is that right?

[Julie Benzavalli]

I looked it up. It's not like he's across the fucking world. It's not.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, my God.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He could, he could have done been.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

There in the afternoon.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah, he could have said, mom, call me when you have this done. I got to be a father. I have to be with my wife and my child.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I have to do this. I have to be a person, a human. I'm not going to say I have to be a man because I hate that phrase. I have to be a good person.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, well, because the other to be a partner. Bear this in mind, dear listener. Maybe Graham should have tested her loyalty to him. You know what I mean by saying, I'm going to go be with my family and if you don't like it, you can off.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah, fine.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You know what I mean?

[Julie Benzavalli]

And she would have have fucked right off. She would have tried another mark. She would have just left that time is money.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She would have found somebody else.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I guess she couldn't have wasted her time with that.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And everyone would have been better off.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, I wonder if Graham would have spent the rest of his life wondering if he's not going to get that salt on a Brunei money. You know what I mean though?

[Julie Benzavalli]

I think you saying that he would have made Heather's life hell no matter what.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Now the fact that his mother just was a character in this life, because he would have been wondering and he would have resented Heather and what if. What if. What if would have been bad no matter what.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But I mean, when we get to the end of this story, there's a truly shocking twist for me, okay. And Graham was never in it to win it with this family. He was gonna get money, but I mean with his wife and kid, he was never in it to win it with his wife.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I think it took the idea of money in the abstract.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

The way you like go on Zillow and just have like unlimited when you're like $30 million.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Like I want to see what kind of houses are, you know, like totally fantasy world. He left his wife and kids for the idea of that In a day he flipped. That's who he really is.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I think too that like, you know, their love story isn't that. Isn't that thrilling to me? Like they ended up be like they were two people who met, who liked the same things and decided, well, we're here, like, let's. Let's be together. And then they had a kid in the perfect moment when the world shut down and they could be together. That bubble was always gonna burst when reality hit them or hit Graham, you know, And I'm not questioning his love for his kid or whatever, but like that marriage had a shelf life. I Think no matter what, I mean.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right or wrong with that. I mean, I hope at least that like there was something real there.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And that maybe this is just his true colors. But man, it didn't take Dion long because of the long lost mother connection. Yes, that's really.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Well, now we meet Junyeon and Marcus.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Oh my God. They meet Dion at a hotel when she rudely interrupts them and starts demanding they tell her what their business is.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And I'm like, lady, keep it moving. Mind your business.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But they happen to be in Switzerland looking for investors for their business, which is like a high end Amazon.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And two seconds later they're at dinner.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But like that's the other thing is like when you are so desperate, when you're looking for money and just anybody can tell you that they haven't and just cause you met them at a fancy bar, you believe them.

[Julie Benzavalli]

How? No one joins a cult. Like everyone's looking for something.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes, yes, yes. I mean, it's like talking about time is money, like Marcus and Ginion, like you should be on the hunt for actual investors. You know what I mean? Why aren't you googing this woman? I know, because instantly she's saying she.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Was basically buying 20% of our company shares. So 2.5 million Swiss franc for 20% of the company.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Then she said, well, now you have a investor. She produces no money or proof that she has the money. They just believe her. Suddenly they're all family and they're talking.

[Julie Benzavalli]

About, you know, the illegitimate child of the Sultan of Brunei thing. Marcus is like, look, rich people are crazy. I've heard crazy stories from rich people. This is kind of nothing.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, that's true. It's true.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And you know, I just wonder how many dinners she interrupted that we're not hearing about.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And this one just happened to be.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

This is the one that took, you.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Know, because you don't know the conversations they were having. You don't know what people believe in, if they believe in fate or luck or whatever. Like you don't know. So I promise you, she was interrupt a lot of people's cocktails and dinners until she got one on the hook.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You're right. Because we, we in these documentaries, they presented as though this person is the best con artist. We never hear the times. It didn't work out.

[Julie Benzavalli]

A hundred times, 99 times it didn't work.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

The time that she met Jillian at the bar, Jillian gooed while the Cosmo was being made and was like, get out of here. Get away from me. I can't tell you how often I hear, oh, I'm a little ocd. I like things neat. That's not ocd. I'm Howie Mandel and I know this because I have have ocd. Actual OCD causes relentless unwanted thoughts. What if I did something terrible and forgot? What if I'm a bad person? Why am I thinking this terrible thing? It makes you question absolutely everything and you'll do anything to feel better. OCD is debilitating, but it's also highly treatable with the right kind of therapy. Regular talk therapy doesn't cut it. OCD needs specialized therapy. That's why I want to tell you about no. NOCD is the world's largest virtual therapy provider for ocd. Their licensed therapists provide specialized therapy virtually and it's covered by insurance for over 155 million Americans. If you think you might be struggling with OCD, visit nocd.com to schedule a free 15 minute call and learn more. That's n o c d dot com.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So these people actually get in business with her. They show us the signed contract. She bought 20% of their business for like 2.5% million Swiss franc, but without transferring any money.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She now owns 20% of their business and has given them nothing and cuts.

[Julie Benzavalli]

A video of them dancing in the hotel restaurant. She's calling them her grandkids.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

My question, when. When, like, when you're the business owner looking for investors, how are you not getting the money up front? I don't get it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I don't, I don't.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

This is not how Shark Tank works.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, come on. Cuban. Would never.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Would never.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Barbara Corcoran. Would never. Lori, what's her name?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That's exactly her name.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Lori what's her name from qvc. Would never. I know. I love her.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah, but again, she looks very healthy. She looks very happy. She supposedly has a brain tumor and bone marrow cancer. As long as they are staying in Switzerland, the clock should be ticking and she should be on her deathbed. She should have days to live at this point.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And also she promises them 2.5 million Swiss francs. Five seconds later, she's asking Marcus for €2,000 and he gives it to her.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But guess what? Don't tell Graham.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But like these, I could scream my head. She's giving money to you. Why are you giving money to her?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Maybe you're desperate for investors because you're not good at business.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm sorry. I'm like, look, I wasn't there, but you're sitting down for the Netflix documentary.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And I need to know why you just, like, kind of fell in love with this eccentric rich lady.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Because due to due diligence is a real thing in the world of investing.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Never.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Why, like, where is the evidence that she has the money? Because not only does Marcus give her €2,000, they're taking her shopping. She's buying shoes, handbags, dresses. She trying on a coat. I think it was 8,000 or something. And she said, oh, oh, I love that coat.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And then I ended up paying for it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Marcus buys her an $8,000 coat. They spend $10,000 on champagne of Marcus's money.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because what Dion is saying to them, well, I'm. You're getting 20 million, so this is just sort of like you're going to pay yourself back in millions as soon as the money goes through.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

So she's convincing everyone that they just want to.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Convincing. She's convincing everyone that $100,000 isn't that much.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because it isn't compared to 20 million. You know what I mean?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She just, like, there's just no evidence that she has the money.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Like, what is she putting in that champagne?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

How drunk are they? And what are they drunk on? The idea of money.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

My question is, like, aren't there bank documents? Aren't there? Like, it's gotta be more than just watching her order expensive shit that makes you believe that she's got the cash.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And like, Heather sitting at home, she knows things aren't right. Dion is all talk, no action, nothing aside, nothing is done. All of this money exists in the abstract, and Heather knows that because all the money that Dion seems to have comes from Heather's own bank account.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly. At what point are you shutting down the bank account? At what point are you going to.

[Julie Benzavalli]

The minute I see that 32 grand out.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. I mean, that's crazy.

[Julie Benzavalli]

No locks are changed. Like, fuck you. Because then, like we were saying on an after party, then it becomes, I don't know you anymore.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Who are you?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Like, I can't trust you now, because now. And now there's, like, someone infiltrating my fortress. So the more. This is like Manipulator101. The more Heather questions Dion, the more Dion tries to get Heather out of the picture.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

We can't have Heather around, which is what. And Dion clocked her immediately, which is why she got the hell out of Dodge and they've been living in Switzerland for the last three months.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly. Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Dion also, like, who the actual fudge do you Think you are.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You're literally new here.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You're new here.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know. She thinks she's the one that they believe has the billions of dollars. That's all that matters.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And the mother. Yeah, the mother factor can't be ignored here.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, I guess that's true.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because Dion was fun and sweet to Graham and then awful to Heather. And it's right out of the playbook. She's trying to cause a wedge and.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

How she's doing it. Anytime Graham confronts her about anything, all.

[Graham]

Of a sudden she goes, you know what? I've just had it. Let's just finish it now. And she'll get up on a balcony and you have to physically drag her down. This can be one, two o' clock in the morning. And then you're just sitting there anxious, am I gonna come home and find her dead somewhere?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Oh, just let me die. I can't go on. He's pulling her off balconies. Cause she's about to jump, yet she won't see a doctor.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right, Right. Exactly. Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So Graham, she has. Has Graham in a constant state of anxiety. He misses his family. Heather's mad at him. He's happy. Like he's happy that he knows his mother, but he's sad that she's dying.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And now he's about to get hundreds of millions of dollars, but he's scared he's going to walk in and see her dead body.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And it's been two months. It was supposed to be four. He has not been with his brand new baby for two months.

[Julie Benzavalli]

The baby's three months old.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I mean, it's. It's unbelievable. Christmas is approaching. Dion is, quote, refusing to let him go home for his first Christmas with his son.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Okay, hold on a second.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

There is no way there, no such thing as an 85 year old woman, quote, not allowing her 45 year old son to get on a plane.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And see his family. Graham.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I need you to step up because this is ridiculous. And it's a. Again, it's a 90 minute flight.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Everything is shut down for all of December and most of January. I mean, no one does any work.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Graham says, it's my favorite time of year. I know, Totally. Graham says to us, I had to promise Heather I'd be back, but I had to fight. He's like, I had to fight my mother for like permission to go home.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Graham.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know, I know. Like, Graham. Well, but then also he says, I got home the night of Christmas Eve and he says everything was amazing. I cooked Dinner. Christmas was wonderful. It cuts to Heather.

[Heather]

She's like, christmas is the worst Christmas I ever had in my life. Because we had a huge argument at 4am about Dion. And it was me saying to Graham, this is not okay. You've disappeared for two months and now you rock up last minute like nothing's happened.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She and Graham have a huge fight about Dion.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You want to know why? Because Dion is harassing Graham, sending him photos of herself, literally pouting.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm so destroyed. My son left me.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It is unbelievable. If again, if you've never dealt with a person like this, consider yourself beyond lucky. They are exhausting. The only way to deal with them is no contact.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yep. And my question to Graham is, why do you want this? That's when I discount the mother thing. And I'm like, it must just be about the money.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Why would you let like, the idea? And I just. I just know this is true. Listeners, you can believe me or not. When Daisy came to us, there was nothing getting me out of a room that she was in. Nothing. $100 million was not getting me out of a room.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She came, baby, baby. She came days.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She came six days old. So, like. So Graham and I are not the same. Like, this is. This is very unusual. And the idea that Graham is allowing this to me means that all he cares about is the money.

[Julie Benzavalli]

All he cares about is the money.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You know what I mean? Because like. Like the idea that he would be. Even. Even if he's fighting with his mother about idea that he would willingly be away from his newborn kid for two months, I cannot make that make sense for any single reason.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And he's partying the whole time.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. And also, like, discounting what Heather is doing, being a single parent at home with a newborn kid by herself, what.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She just went through to give birth to that.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly, exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And it's like, Graham, if you're going to sit down, be honest. Because he's not even saying, oh, I couldn't even see straight back then. I was doing horrible things. I was not a good partner to my. The love of my life. Like, I really. Heather, over here. He's just saying. He's like, what? It was the best Christmas ever. And Heather's like, it was the worst Christmas ever. It was a turning point for Heather. It was over.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And Graham is going to sit here whether he believes it or not. Be honest with us, Graham.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right. Because he's in. Instead, he's frustrated with us. He's yelling at the document, at the documentary maker, at Some point.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Oh, Graham, you better watch that tone, because I'm not like. He doesn't come off.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He doesn't come off good here.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And that caught that edit of Heather being like. It was a word. Worst night of my life.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, yeah. And so now Heather is telling us that, like. Oh, like after Christmas, they're planning a trip to New Zealand to introduce the baby to her family. And Dion is trying to convince Graham that he can't go because she's going to die while he's away in New Zealand with his family.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Peak manipulation.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And I have to say, like, any form of that, even if the person's being hyperbolic, like, I have to do this or I'm going to die. If I don't do this, I'm going to die. It's fucking manipulation, no matter which way you slice it. Totally. And now this woman has had him brainwashed that for the last six months she actually is dying. She's really going very meta here.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And she's put the date on the calendar. She's like, you're going to be gone how many weeks?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Well, you say Thursday. No, no, no, no. Six. Oh, two. I'm.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I am the legitimate daughter of the Sultan of Brunei will be dead on that Thursday at 603.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Guess who's coming for you.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Totally.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So whatever Dion wins because of course she does. Graham does not go to New Zealand.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

This is unbelievable to me.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Heather sure does.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, Heather fucking does.

[Heather]

Because she says, I was absolutely distraught because I needed to get out of there. I needed space, and I was so. I just. I needed to see my family and to be around people that love me at that point.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I need to be around my family and people who love me.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Good for you, Heather. I hate that this is happening to her, but it's the right move for Heather. It's the right move for the baby, and I think it's about fucking time. Yeah, but it sucks. Like, put yourself in Heather's shoes of, like, months of dealing with this, months of trying to get through to this person you love, who is now doesn't even look anything close to the person you married and fell in love with.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I mean, you know, we're going a little bit out of order. I'm gonna tell you here, dear listener, that they don't make it. That. That Heather and Graham don't make it. I was truly shocked.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Oh, I was thrilled.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, my God. I mean, I just. Being a parent, I was absolutely shocked by that.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Just, like, how obvious he's continuing the cycle.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That's the word. Well, but how obvious it is that he cared about the money and his freedom over the. I'm curious to know when Heather made that decision because I think you make a good point about Christmas Eve when they had that fight at 4 in the morning. That was a turning point. Was that the moment she decided? Was it when she got on the plane to go to New Zealand without him? Is that when she. I would love to know when she made the decision.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I think if I'm going to guess it becomes a turning point to her not hiding her feelings anymore. At the very least, I don't. I think she's kind of like the turning point is I'm going to tell him what the truth is and I'll take it from there. If he doesn't hear me.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because like she starts trying to tell him.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That this. What is really going on and he just will not hear it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Well, so we're back with Marcus. Remember he was the one with Junyun and they had the Amazon like the high end Amazon business. He said that he and Junyon had gone away for like a night or something. They come back, suddenly there's a new person. There's a Chinese man named Peng. Yeah, we're gonna go on a journey with Peng.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah, he's from China. He lived in Germany for many years. There's like he has another very vague business associate.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And promises Peng's associate, who we never meet.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

66 $0 million for this cutting edge medical business. And in return, this associate is going to offer Dion this groundbreaking cancer treatment. Cuz remember, Dion's dying of two forms of very aggressive cancer that you can.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Only get in Switzerland, by the way. And so Dion says, I'm too far gone, I don't want the treatment. How about you give me $50,000 cash.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She spoke about how she would redistribute.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Distribute that money to people in need.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That this flow of money would actually benefit someone. We gave total US$50,000.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Now let me just say this one more time. Peng came to her for $60 million without any. She says yes, absolutely no questions asked. But without any evidence that he's ever going to see that money, that that money even exists, that she has that.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Money, it's just Dr. Documents, whatever. It's nothing real.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Without him having the money in his hand or any date by which have that money, he is cutting her a check for $50,000. I cannot make it make sense because.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It doesn't make any sense. And they're like, well, the Least we can do is give you this life changing, life saving cancer treatment that will cost you a zillion dollars, but you get it for free because you're giving us 60 million. She refuses it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She says, give me the cash.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She goes, just let me die. Yeah, just give me some cash instead.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

What I'm saying is, why doesn't paying say to her, well then why don't you just give us $60 million minus 50,000 and then use that 50,000? She's like, no, no, no, no, I need a check from you all. It's gotta come from you guys.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Also because of COVID Right? So no one is also putting it together. They are allegedly curing cancer. I know, but they can't put two and two together. That they can give her money, but she can't give them money because Covid.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I'm gonna say it one more time. They are getting $60 million from her, but before any money is given to them, they're giving her 50 grand. I just. It is the date she was refusing.

[Julie Benzavalli]

The life saving cancer treatment.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

The day that she realized that that would work must have been the best day of her life. The day that she realized that just promising people money and pretending to have money means that they'll give you money instead. It's just absolutely wild.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So now suddenly Dion is back in the uk. What happened to Graham's hundreds of millions of dollars? Nothing assigned, just more excuses.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But. But she is now getting herself this London apartment with floor to ceiling windows with a full view of London Tower. Now once again, to Graham. That looks like, oh, she must have gotten her Sultan of brun. No, she just got the 50 grand from Peng.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You know, this is how she's doing it happen. It's absolutely wild.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But another red flag is that she doesn't have any friends her age. Or what do they call it? Like not colleagues.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Associates.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Not associates. Like something more informal. Like friends or like, what do they call them?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I don't know, I just call them friends.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But yeah, friends. And she doesn't have anyone in her life.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You're like, you know, friend. Not like friends.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She's a nightmare. She wouldn't have any friends.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But anyone that's like on her, like everyone's a quote, business associate or her sons. Like she exists in this very, very specific way.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Bosom buddies.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Bosom buddies starring Tom Hanks and the other guy whose name I told.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Peter Scalari.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Peter Scoleri.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

How dare you?

[Julie Benzavalli]

I do know his name.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know he was the dad on Girls?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah. Oh, I never watched Girls.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He was very. I loved him. I had a big crush on him.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Oh, he's cute.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, he's.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But Dion exists in this very, very specific way.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, I knew Peter Scolari's name.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I know. He's great.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Totally.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He's also in that thing you do. Tom Hanks always tells him everyone's a.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, that's so. God. Imagine you're Peter Scolari, and you make a show with Tom Hanks, and all of a sudden, he's Tom Hanks, and you're still Peter Scolari.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I think it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You do?

[Julie Benzavalli]

I think it's a great little d. I mean, what are you gonna do?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Tom Hanks is, like, the richest, most beloved man in America, and you're just that guy from Bosom Buddies. You know what I mean?

[Julie Benzavalli]

But people like Peter Scolari.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He's so cute. We've established. I know. I'm just saying, like, it must be. I would hope that Scolari, the way that I live my life, when other people succeed, beyond me. I just want to be happy for them. I would hope that Peter Scoleri does the same thing.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I think they're silpism buddies. I think that's how the story ends.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

We'll always be somebodies. Yeah. Have you ever seen the Angela Lansbury, Bea Arthur? They do that. Oh, on the Tony Awards.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yes.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

They used to play it at the gayest musical Mondays. I used to go to all the time. We'll always be for somebody. It's so good.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Oh, my gosh. So this bitch Dion. My point is, she exists in this very, very specific way. Like, there's nothing else to her. It's like everyone. She's everyone's mother or grandmother, but she's also this zillionaire. Like, there's cancer and then there's money no one can get access to and manipulation, and that's it. Like, she doesn't. Like. It's not like, mom, where are you going? Oh, I'm going to lunch with my girlfriend. Or she just exists in, like, cancer and money and manipulation.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Y. 100%.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And her son's friends.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It's weird because Heather and their son is. Are in New Zealand. Graham is spending all of his time with his mom now at her fancy apartment. And, like, now we're. Heather's giving us a little bit of backstory on Graham.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right? And also, Graham is not allowed to visit Heather in New Zealand. That's when you go. That's when you say, Go fuck yourself.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

When was the last time you saw your kid, Graham? When was the last time you saw your fudgeing child? Right, because my whole thing about fighting.

[Julie Benzavalli]

With Heather over Christmas.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

The reason you're this fucked up, Graham, you're telling us this is because you didn't have your parent when you were a kid.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Exactly.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And now you're robbing your own kid of their parent. Like, how do you not see this?

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm gonna go out on a limb. Cancel me or whatever. I think the kid's better off without him.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I guess. I say in therapy every week, I was blessed by my father's absence. Blessed by it. Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Some people are better off.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm sorry to say that. And I'm talking in this context. It's just like Graham. Not even the sight of money, the thought of money, the abstract idea of money, and he runs.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yep.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Who is this guy?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I've got so much more to say about that. But Heather says that, you know, we know that Graham grew up in an abusive, neglectful household.

[Heather]

His key driver for becoming a chef was to sort of get out of that environment. Being a chef was a place where he had a roof over his head. It was warm and he had access.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

To food and be somewhere warm that gave him access to food. Can I say, I said this to you off mic? I grew up working in kitchens. I work. I got my first job as a dishwasher when I was 14. I worked in kitchens all the way through college. And then I was front of house after that. I was like a barn door.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That's why you can't watch the bear.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

True. Truly. It's why I can't watch it. Right. But the number of people that I met in that line of work who literally got jobs in kitchens to assure that they would have food, that's a real thing. You know, I come from that world. And it's a very sad but very true thing that, like, Graham got a job in a kitchen because he wasn't sure he would have food at home.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And on top of that, his father is physically abusive.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Graham says, you know, I have the scars to prove it. And the last time Graham saw his father, Graham was in knocking his father down like he was 18.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He's beating his father's ass and left. And I say, good, good.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Fine. Like, great.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I wish I had taken a swing at my dad.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh. Woo. Where did that come from?

[Julie Benzavalli]

I hear you.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. That's all. I'll leave it there. I realized in Therapy this week that I haven't seen my father in person since I was in eighth grade, but then he died. He's dead. Thank God.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I was gonna say, wait a second.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

No, he's dead. But, like, in the. Like, I never saw my dad in person after 8th grade.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Wow.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Isn't that wild?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah, it is.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It is.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But, you know, it happens all the time.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It happens to tons of people, but. And I'm totally fine about it, but I do. I used to think about the fact that my dad and I was emotionally disconnected from it. I wasn't, like, sad about it, but my dad had kids in the world that he never saw or connected with in any way as a parent. I can't imagine that. And now watching. Knowing that that was Graham's story, too, and now watching him do it to his kid, I just can't make it make sense.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Did he ever reach out and you said, I'm not interested, or.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He didn't even know in the very end. In the very end, my dad reached out to me, like, two years before he died over something. My dad would come into the picture and inflict chaos, and that's what he was trying to do, and I wouldn't allow it. And that was that. We had one phone call, and I hung up on him. Not angrily, but I just was like, I'm done with this phone call. And I got off the phone, and that was that.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And that was it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Anyway, thanks for sharing.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Does it feel okay to move on?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, totally. Please move on.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Does it feel okay? Does it feel safe to stop now? But this is why being with his mother is so important. Unresolved trauma. And I'm like, okay, fine. But she's out of control. She's objectively out of control.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

The more you and I talk about it, the more I think it was about the money, that it was as much about the mother. Because at this point, he's using the mother to shield us. He's using the mother as a shield for what his real motive was, which was to get the money.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I agree. Because at this point, I don't care what anyone's been through in their childhood or how sick someone is or isn't. What this woman is doing is shitty and manipulative at the end. And Graham is continuing the cycle of abuse and abandonment. And it's very hard to be like, but my mom. And it's like, is she even. Is she even offering? Here's a question, Graham. Is she even offering you anything other than money?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right, exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because a Mother, a person who really cares about you and family and being with you would want to be with the people you love, too. Not taking you away from them.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You would be one big happy family for six months.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. How does she not want to be, like the best grandmother in the world for the last six months? She's got left, right? Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And then you realize, oh, she's perfectly healthy, but, like, that's not even seeping in. And it's all about the money.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And it's. You know, Heather is saying, while I'm.

[Heather]

In New Zealand, it becomes very apparent that it's a lot worse than I thought it was. I found out that had set up other credit cards in his own name that his mother had requested him to set up and had been accruing debts.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, this is. Now Graham has very quickly become a part of this and inflicting all of this financial abuse on Heather.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

The lying, the manipulation, the fighting, the gaslighting.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because, I mean, he's abusing her.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He's given her a bunch of. Now he's got credit cards in her name. Then Graham tells us in Zurich, when the hotel bill came, it was £25,000. He had to pay it because once again, she doesn't have access to her funds.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So he left his wife and newborn. For months he's been taking money without her knowledge and he's putting her in debt.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes, exactly. And then also back in London, he says it's now 10 to $15,000 on entertainment just for her. Then another £25,000 on. In credit card debt.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Did she just fucking die already? I thought she was dying.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He says at this point, he. He spent at least $80,000 on his mother.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Well, let's talk about the cars.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Because.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Well, right, so this is what I was going to say earlier.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Dion made it so that Graham is on the hook. It's the same thing.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right?

[Julie Benzavalli]

It's the same thing about, like, I'm going to give you 20 million, but why don't you give me a cool Hondo grand right now to hold us over?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Because I think in Heather's mind, she's thinking, Dion's got to have some money because he bought. She bought Graham a Range Rover and me a BMW. And in Heather's mind, they were paid.

[Julie Benzavalli]

For in cash because Graham lied to her.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Y.

[Julie Benzavalli]

When I say it took this guy days, I mean days, because he so needed this woman to be his loving mother that he's already instant. She instantly has him lying to his wife saying, oh, she bought us the cars, but really they're all in Graham's name and he's on the hook for.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It and for payments.

[Heather]

I realized that the cars haven't been purchased and I realized that there's now this agreement in place that he's liable for the Minis cars.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

How much for, do you think?

[Heather]

I would say upwards of 180k.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You make the payments and I'll pay you back. That's how this is going to work.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And so now.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But lie to your wife and tell her that they're paid for free and clear the cars.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

He's liable for £180,000 in cars.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So between everything, the debt, the payments, all these transfers, all this stuff, Graham is out over £300,000, which is almost $400,000.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So this is terrifying because it's like, what El is this woman capable of?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And now Heather wants to save Graham, so she recruits Juan, the friend.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. Because Heather knows that Graham won't listen to her. Like, I think that by this point their relationship must have been over because Heather is still, like, she's still on the go trying to figure everything out, but she knows he is not going to listen to her. So she gets. She recruits one.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Now they know he's in trouble. Right. He's going to lose his family, he's going to be in financial ruin. Not to mention all of the added trauma on himself and what he's inflicted on Heather and their baby. But now, again, a train that's never late. Dion has now turned on Graham.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So she's telling all of these people that they've sort of collected.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, the Marcus and the Junyon.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And the Pang.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right now she's telling all of these new friends that Graham has been stealing from her and he's abusive and he's terrible and she can't trust him. So she's making everyone feel bad for her. She's dying after all. And now at the same time, they hate and distrust Graham.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And I'm sitting here, I'm like, who cares? Like, who even are these people? Random associates. Who gives a shit? Well, go home to your wife and your baby. Who cares?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I think what she's protecting herself against are those associates going to Graham to say like, hey, your mom says she was going to give us a ton of money and she hasn't. So I think that she's keeping them separate.

[Julie Benzavalli]

The only ticking clock here is the one that Dion knows is going to run out when people find out the Truth. She knows this can't last forever.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She knows that she has to start getting a little bit of a life raft for whatever her next thing is. So let's just put everyone against each other.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But it's also like, why does anyone you don't even know you met in the hotel lobby?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

But, like, who gives a shit?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Graham, go home. You should care what your wife thinks.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And we're back with Peng, by the way, who's like, Dion claims that Gran has emptied her bank account and spent all of her money. I feel terribly sorry for Dion. She's an old lady in wheelchair, 85 years old, suffering from three different kinds of cancer. So I gave another 10,000 to grandma. I gave her another $10,000.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm like, Peng, we gotta move on.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She came to you. She was gonna give you $60 million. Girl.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I know.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And you're just writing her checks out of your personal bank account.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She's still using the COVID excuse while you can happily transfer money to her. But she somehow Covid is only affecting her.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Her exact.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Now Heather has had it. She starts researching Dion because she's like, I wonder. And Heather, I've been there. I love you. It's never going to work. He's too brainwashed. But she wants to show him real, actual, indisputable proof. Like, print it out and be like, here, this is what she's doing.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And she finds it. Like, she comes across Dion's marriage records, and she finds out the first marriage was in 1970. She had a second one in 1984, a third in 1994. And she says, what's odd is on the first marriage certificate, she records her date of birth as 1940. And then on the next certificate, she records herself as being 30 years of age in 1984, which would have made her birth year 1950. So already she can see she's falsifying documents.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She has a ton of documents. And, like, her birth date is never consistent. The names are not consistent. One of them's a violinist, One of them's a this. It doesn't make any sense. Also, the music in the scene is very White Lotus.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. But, like, she's basically. She's seeing all these documents with all of these inconsistencies, and she can see that Dion's been lying.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Graham's not going to care.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So Juan, the friend, is back with Graham and Dion in Switzerland. I guess the money's finally ready.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And I want to point out, when Heather recruited Juan, Juan was like, listen, let me tell you about the time that Graham went to the bathroom and she tried to hit me up for money, and I said no. And I've known all along that she was swindling you guys. So that is why Juan is so willing to help.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And so Juan tells the story that they're in this, like, fancy hotel in Switzerland. Dion's in the. In the restaurant having $400 bottles of wine and caviar. He takes Juan to the lobby, gets them two bottles of wine so he can get Graham drunk, loosened up, and be honest with him.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So Juan tells Graham the truth, having.

[Graham]

A glass of wine, and he's like, you know, you better be careful. You know, your mum is. She's lying. And this is what we see as friends.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Why she keep promising you that she will have some money and the money's not coming, why she keeps saying that she's dying soon. He's trying to get Graham to see what's going on. And now Graham doesn't want to believe it, but of course, like, when his wife says it, there's a major blowout, but two bros getting wine drunk, that did the trick. He's like, now, hold on a second.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Wait a second. Which.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm sorry, Heather must have been enraged, but she knew.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She knew she had to get Juan because he would listen to Juan and not to her.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It's. And even in Graham's retelling of it, he's like, you know, no one ever said anything like this to me before. Juan got me hammered.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right, right, right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

On some fucking Malbec or whatever. And now he believes Juan. And it's like, you. You have destroyed your relationship with your wife and your son over this. But Juan, two bottles of wine in is now making sense. Like, not a good. You said yes to Netflix, by the way. This is on Netflix.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Watching it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And, like, when we get to the end of this, we're gon that. Like, he always considered his kitchen family, his real family, whatever. But what I'm saying is that, like, he was never in it to win it with Heather.

[Julie Benzavalli]

He was never.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Like, it was the perfect combination of, like, we're two people who like each other. And a pandemic hit, so I guess we'll be together.

[Julie Benzavalli]

This is coming from Miz. Chosen Family. You know, I love the Chosen Family, but guess what? Like, marrying someone is chosen family, too, you fucking dingbats. So. And you have a son now. And now sometimes the choices make choices for you.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You have a son now, Graham.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yep. Well, Juan is pointing out to Graham, look, she. She has been promising you money for months and months and has never come. She says she's sick, but she's in better health than any of us. Like, open your fucking eyes, brother.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So Graham starts snooping in Dion's room.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Because this wakes him up. He's like. All of a sudden, he snaps out of it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah. Because his wife told him, and God knows he wasn't listening to her. So he finds. Graham finds red food coloring used for the blood in the urine, obviously.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And God knows what else. And Dion's like, no, no, no, that's medicine. That's a system.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Food coloring cures cancer. She says, oh, not million dollar contraption or whatever.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly. And then Graham googles finally the medicine she's on.

[Graham]

We googled the medication that she's on, so. But most of those were for hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, everything but. Everything but cancer.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Not a single thing for cancer.

[Julie Benzavalli]

No. It's the usual stuff an overweight 85 year old needs on a regular basis.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly, exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And that's what I mean. That's what they say. And that's the truth.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So Graham finally gets it after those two bottles of wine. And Juan, and not his wife.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

What he finally gets. Not that like he's lost his wife and son. He understands for the first time now that he's drowning in debt and he's never gonna get that money back.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It's all about the money.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That's what he cares about.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And so Graham confronts Dion and we hear it. And she basically gets out of it by saying that she has to go to the bathroom.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She's like, can we hold on this conversation? I really gotta pee. Is it gonna be blood? I don't know. We'll see. I'm dying.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I'm sure to take a picture and text it to you and your family, though.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And Graham's like, okay, well, she pee.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. But like, she's clinging to that Sultan of Brunei story, which, like, she's clinging to it. She's like, mom, what you're saying is the current Sultan of Brunei is my uncle. And she's like, yep, definitely has got to pee, though.

[Julie Benzavalli]

100%.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I got to pee. Oh, hold that thought.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Hold that thought. Ooh, I got to go.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I got to piss. Like that cancer faker in church.

[Julie Benzavalli]

You know what? It just kids. Yeah. I really got to go.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She has had eight bottles of $12,000 wine, so she really. It's running right through her.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Caviar makes you pee, probably. Who knows?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I've been eating it's good.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It tastes salty.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You said it's salty, but it is good. It's a texture thing.

[Julie Benzavalli]

What's the.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It's. It's. It's a little gelatinous. It's. Yeah, it's good. It's really good.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm okay.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Okay.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It's so not worth it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Like, when we do. When we hit the TCO 10 mark, we'll do some caviar.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Okay.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You know what I mean? We'll do like, a fancy party with some caviar.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Okay.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Don't get mad at me if I don't like it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That's okay. Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Okay.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Okay. I'm so mad at the party barge. Like, I can't believe I can't get you out on a party barge.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I can be in air conditioning watching my shows, fam.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Who's going on a party barge with me? I would be. I laugh riot on a party barge.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'm sure.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Three cosmos at a party barge. I'm jumping into the Hudson. I have no. I will. Just to make you laugh. I would jump into the Hudson.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I'd be terrified. And no one would ever touch you again. You'd become radioactive and probably a witness and many murder. So Heather's over it. There's this thing called action fraud in.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

The uk and yet another thing our country should have that we don't.

[Julie Benzavalli]

But. But really, because they don't fucking do anything.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I get.

[Heather]

Well, Heather says there's a way that you can register someone as a vulnerable person if they're being financially manipulated. I also go to the police at that point, and I'm very quickly told that it won't be seen as a fraud because she's his mother.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Well, it's not fraud because she's his mom.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

This makes no sense to me. Where it's like, has nobody ever heard of a fucking con?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Crime manipulation.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

This is exactly what this is like. No, it is a crime because she's his mother.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I know. It's so stupid.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That's how she's getting away with it. You idiot.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And technically, manipulation isn't illegal. Grab made those decisions by himself, I guess. I mean, he was. Of course. I understand.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

No, no, but it's like, can we have some compassion? Like, this should happen. You know what I mean?

[Julie Benzavalli]

Also, like, in any. Like, come on, it's your mother. Come on, it's your father. And they should act like it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Like, I do not subscribe to. Like, I. I know my mom has said to people, don't let anyone manipulate you into that. If that if your parent treated you poorly. Cuz my mom has dealt with it too. Don't fall for the but. It's your father. Well, he should have acted like that.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I. I agree.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I absolutely agree when I say this, I'm not talking about my parents. My parents actively broke the cycle.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Y.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Very, very, very grateful for that. But more than that, Heather's like, she just. We get like the Ted Bundy treatment. Like, she just doesn't look like a bad person. She's in her 80s, she's in a wheelchair. She's dying anyway.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Even if she didn't have cancer, she's in pretty poor health. And she just didn't kind of feel like a criminal. So they didn't do anything.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Why does this division exist? Because like, what are you here specifically for people who are being manipulated. He's being manipulated.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Being manipulated.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

You know, by the way, being speaking manipulation. We're back with that poor Peng guy.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Oh my God.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I just think all in all, this guy gives her over 100,000 dol of his own personal money and it takes.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Peng 10 months to be like, maybe I should Google the royal family of Brunei.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yes. I start to write directly to the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Brunei. And they replied to embassy's knowledge there is no person named Dion Marie Hanna or Tessa Hayden Mohammed as state in yong email who is related to to Brunei royal family. Sorry, girl. Definitely not.

[Julie Benzavalli]

They sent back an official statement saying that she's lying and they want nothing to do with her. It took one of these 11 people 10 months to Google her and ask a fucking question.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Peng is so in debt, he like, does not know what he's going to do. But this is the kind of thing that makes people kill themselves.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I mean, yes, crippling debt, of course, yes.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I mean, it's criminal.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So Heather's like, okay, can we just maybe get some proof that she's actually Graham's mother? Like, she lied about absolutely everything. Everything. So. And Graham, in Heather's mind, she definitely lied about being his mom too and is manipulating.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And this is where we learned that Graham said from day one, I asked her to do a DNA test, she wouldn't do it. But for some reason, now that he has found her out and told her that he's found her out, she's willing to do the DNA test.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And because she wants to keep the manipulation and be like, but I'm your mother.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right, Right. Because seemingly we watch him open the results in real time.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah. Guess what? She's really his mother.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She actually really is. His mom. I was surprised by that.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Only a real mom could be that manipulated. I've seen all kind. I've seen all kinds of manipulation. But I tell you, family on family manipulation is very specific. Truly very specific. It's similar to the other ones, but like, if you know, you know.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Now Graham is devastated because Graham's like, oh my God, my actual real mom.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

It's to me fucked up. Like as a kid who didn't have his mother for 45 years, he now really has to grapple with the fact that she only found him to manipulate him.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yes.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And that's really why only found him to steal my. What a fucking sick ass person.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Well, the thing is though, if lockdown.

[Graham]

Hadn'T have happened, probably would. Never met her. She was a scammer. But there's no transient tourists coming in and out, High net worth families, whatever. There's no way to make a living. So what do you do? You go on the Internet, you find your son very easy.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That way lockdown started and she ran out of opportunities to scheme and scam people. She's like, let me find my son because at least I can scam him while we deal with this Covid mess.

[Julie Benzavalli]

That's insane.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

That's exactly what she did.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And like we're kind of like winding down here, but Heather like really wants to get to the bottom of this. And I get like, I mean, sitting here, I'm like, heather, we have it. Yeah, she's just a scammer. But like she learned, like she's been doing this forever and Heather is able to track down like that she'd do like the mother grandmother thing and she'd like, you know, say that she's going to pay for the room, but leave diamonds in the room as payment. But they'd be fake diamonds. Like this is, you know, Heather's like uncovering all this stuff, but in the end it doesn't matter.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

No. And just like once again, what she was doing was she was taking my money and spending it in front of Jillian to make Jillian think that she had money right then she's taking Jillian's money to do it to. To the next person. Like that's what this scam is.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Over and over and over again. And like we never get to the bottom of like, did she leave Graham or did the father go. No contact. We don't know why she left.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

We know that Graham's dad was shitty and that he never talked about the mother, but we don't know what he knew and never told Graham.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right. And, like, Graham is in foster care from 2 to 4 years old, but doesn't know why. So I'm like, is this a part of it? I mean, I'm sure she didn't want to be a mother. The apple does not fall fucking far from that tree.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

And to that end, right, exactly to that end, she vanishes on Graham, like, once the jig is up and he's not going to give her any more money, she vanish.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Well, he goes, no contact. And it ends with Graham breaking no contact and talking to her on FaceTime.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah. Because she called. After a year of her being gone, she calls him and he takes the.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Call and she says, sorry for, quote, what happened. Not sorry for what I did. Yes, sorry for what happened. Like, she didn't do it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

She also says, I done what I done.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I cannot change, and I cannot change.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I am who I am, and I'm not going to change.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Fuck you. Also, Netflix. It ends with Dion did not respond for a request for comment. Shocking.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

She has never faced criminal charges for the allegations made in this documentary. And I'm like, right, but Netflix. Can you look into this a little more?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Why is it all on Heather? Why is it, like, 90 minutes of this infuriating manipulator where everyone knows where the story ends? But, like, I could have used a little bit of research from Netflix.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Here.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I mean, the thing for me in the end that was so shocking was when we felt, because Heather, even after her and Graham break up, she's still invested in finding out who Dionne is and getting Graham out of it. And we learn in the end that, like, Heather was like, I went to New Zealand. And, like, I guess I knew when I got on the plane I was never going to come back. It was over. And Graham is like, I love my son, but he seems to be better off, like, over there where he has family. Like, my whole thing with Graham is like, how are you not. It's fine that you and Heather aren't together. How are you not moving to New Zealand to be near your kid? It ends with him in a kitchen with his chosen family cooking desserts for each other while his son is off being raised by his single mother in New Zealand without him. Exactly. What happened to Graham?

[Julie Benzavalli]

He's like, I love my friends, you know, Quote, they stood by me this whole time. Yeah, Graham, oh, my God. Like, you ditched your wife and newborn because you wanted to drink champagne and eat caviar. I'm not discounting the childhood trauma, but, like, I'm sure It was very fun to party in luxury for three months while your wife is at home dealing with your newborn baby.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Exactly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

After having a very hard birth. And like, again, you realize you. You're perpetuating the cycle. Right.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

100%.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Right. And Heather and that baby are much better off.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Bye.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Bye. Oh, my God.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, my God, girl, we did con. Mom.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Mom.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I don't like saying mom. I don't like it.

[Julie Benzavalli]

It feels like I'm, like, I'm being rude.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I know.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Like, I'm trying to, like, make a joke and do a bad impression or culturally appropriate.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I don't know, fam. Listen, we've got a Patreon. It's awesome. It's where there's over 450 full ad free bonus apps to download a binge right this second.

[Julie Benzavalli]

So just one note about Patreon. Apple is due, inflicting all of these fees on every podcaster. We don't want it.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

So if you get to every podcast, who has a Patreon.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yeah. So if you join Patreon through the Apple app, it'll give you a bunch of fees. So if you want to join Patreon without the fees, just go on a browser, go to the website patreon.com obsessed to avoid the fees. And we don't want it. We're trying to. We.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

We.

[Julie Benzavalli]

There's nothing.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Right. It's still going to go right into your pocket. You're still listening on your phone. You don't have to listen on your computer. It's just a way of avoiding paying those dumb Apple. Exactly. That's all. Also, the merch store is live for everybody right now. Go check it out. TrueGround. Obsess.com. click on the merch link.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Yep.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

What do we do next? Girl. Oh, God.

[Julie Benzavalli]

My God. A deadly American marriage.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Oh, we are. I have. It just dropped. I haven't watched it yet.

[Julie Benzavalli]

I changed the whole calendar. Oh, my God, my DMs were exploding.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, well, stay tuned for the trailer for that fam. And we love you.

[Julie Benzavalli]

All right. We love you.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

All right. Bye.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Bye. What have you done? The kids were in bed asleep when this occurred.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

They had lost their father.

[Julie Benzavalli]

Did you ever see him pit part? Mommy made me die. What is the truth and what's not on the outside of the house?

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

The house looks like sunshines and rainbows.

[Julie Benzavalli]

And on the inside, we learn that there are secret recordings. If I hadn't screamed that night, he would have just strangled me.

[Dr. Patrick McGrath]

I never saw my dad ever lay hands on Molly.

[Julie Benzavalli]

My dad is a really amazing person. I was going to save her life and I have no regrets. What really happened? Who is the victim here? Mommy puts it in your mouth.