Conor Maynard shares real story behind Charlotte Chilton baby scandal
30 May 2025, 11:52
Conor Maynard called the past year the 'worst of his life' after being branded a 'deadbeat dad' by the public after The Traitors star Charlotte Chilton claimed he was the father of her daughter.
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Conor Maynard has spoken out for the first time after a paternity test confirmed he is not the father of Charlotte Chilton’s baby, ending months of speculation following public claims that he had fathered the child.
Appearing on This Morning with hosts Paddy McGuinness and Alison Hammond, Conor addressed the highly-publicised ordeal while promoting his new single, which touches on his personal struggles with mental health.
Conor, 32, explained that he and Charlotte, also 32, had a brief encounter at The Traitors wrap party in 2024. Charlotte later claimed publicly that Conor had fathered her daughter, Penelope, and accused him of refusing to acknowledge the child.
"For the last year, things have been really difficult," Conor said on the show: "Mental health is something I’ve struggled with my whole life, and this has been one of the most challenging periods."
He added that he had chosen not to speak publicly until the facts were clear: "It was difficult to stay silent, especially when I was being painted as a deadbeat dad. The comments across my social media were all about that. Of course you want to defend yourself, but I didn’t feel it was right until I knew the truth."
Conor also said he was blindsided when the situation went to the press: "I was aware of what was going on privately, but I had no idea it would become public. In my mind, the natural next step was to take a paternity test to get clarity and deal with it accordingly — but that’s not how it played out."
When Paddy asked how he felt upon receiving the DNA results, Conor admitted: "I actually felt like I was going to have a massive panic attack. That’s the difficult thing about mental health — when something traumatic ends, you don’t just instantly feel better."
He added: "I stayed in that night with my girlfriend and tried to stay calm. My friends wanted to go out and talk, but I just needed peace."
In March 2025, a statement confirmed that a DNA test conducted in the presence of Charlotte’s legal representative showed that Conor was not Penelope’s father.
In a message shared shortly after the results, Conor said: "Earlier this week, I took a paternity test regarding Charlotte’s baby girl, Penelope, in the presence of her legal representative. Today I’ve received the test results which confirm that I am not Penelope’s father. I’m glad the speculation can finally be put to an end. All I ask is that people act with kindness — there is a child at the heart of this. I wish Charlotte and her family all the best."
Despite the test results, there have been reports that Charlotte has allegedly expressed doubts about the accuracy of the test, pointing to a last-minute change in the testing location.
However, Conor’s representatives dismissed those concerns in a statement to MailOnline, saying: "It is very difficult to understand how the location of the paternity test would have changed the results. The test was conducted by a registered nurse in the presence of Charlotte’s legal representative. The results have clearly drawn a line under the matter, and we can only hope that Charlotte can find a way to move forward."
