It’s the paternity scandal that, over the past 16 months, has seen almost as many twists and turns as The Traitors.
Yet the question remains: just who is the father of Charlotte Chilton’s baby?
Brunette recruitment constultant Charlotte was, of course, a contestant on series two of The Traitors. A Faithful, she was ejected in episode nine.
After the show, the 32-year-old met singer Conor Maynard, and says she fell pregnant in January 2024.
She insists her daughter Penelope, now 13 months, is a result of their one-night stand.
This, in truth, would have been high drama enough. For Charlotte already had an estranged wife, Laura, who claimed their marriage was still very much alive at the time of the fling.
Add to this the fact Charlotte and Laura had already endured a battle to conceive, including one failed IVF attempt in their seven-year relationship, and one can see why emotions rapidly became so high.
The plot then became even thicker, after Charlotte agreed to Penelope being subjected to two paternity tests in March and August this year.
Despite both DNA tests showing that Conor was not the father, Charlotte continued to insist he was responsible for fathering her ‘miracle’ daughter.
Then, last week, came another surprising twist.
Traitors star Jonny Holloway speaks to the Daily Mail and reveals his side of the story
Former Traitors contestant Charlotte Chilton while pregnant with her daughter Penelope who is now 13-months-old
British singer Conor Maynard, who Charlotte claims is the father despite two DNA tests that say he is not
Conor shared a message online in which he claimed to reveal who the real father of Charlotte’s baby was – none other than Charlotte’s Traitors co-star and close friend, former soldier Jonny Holloway.
At first, Jonny, 33, publicly dodged the question of whether he could possibly be the little girl’s father, wanting to sort the situation out privately for Penelope’s sake.
But, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Jonny says the truth is he and Charlotte did have sexual relations.
What’s more, Jonny has asked Charlotte for a DNA test – but she has since changed her mind and is refusing to discuss the subject properly with him. She denies sleeping with Jonny.
‘If I was the father I would step up and take that child as my own,’ he told the Daily Mail emotionally. ‘Relations took place on a drunken night out. I was heavily intoxicated at the time. I’ve asked for a DNA test several times but have been ignored.
‘I’m a man of values and standards, I come from a military background. I pride myself on having respect and being a good dad to my children.’
Indeed, Jonny, a former member of the Royal Lancers, won admirers for his bravery and openness when discussing the aftermath of his deployment to Afghanistan in 2013.
He’d been travelling in the lead vehicle of a patrol in a known Taliban stronghold when it was blown up by an explosive device.
Three years later he was forced to have his leg amputated below the knee and was diagnosed with PTSD.
As well as the injury to his leg, Jonny was blinded in one eye and suffered a brain injury which affects his short-term memory and concentration. He has spoken movingly about his mental health struggles and a dependence on alcohol which developed in the aftermath of his injuries.
Jonny is pleading with Charlotte publicly to get a DNA test taken after a ‘drunken night’
Former soldier Jonny while on The Traitors, which aired in January last year, where he met Charlotte
His emotions are close to the surface as he discusses the recent events, which he has says have left him feeling at his most ‘mentally weak’. He added: ‘This is coming from someone who has been blown up in Afghanistan’.
At first glance, it isn’t altogether clear why Charlotte wouldn’t want Jonny to do a DNA test to establish her baby’s parentage once and for all, although some speculate it’s because she desperately (i)wants(i) successful singer Conor to be the father.
The details of the night she and Jonny spent together are, sadly, rather unedifying.
‘After a night out in March last year, people came back to stay at my house and as I said I was highly intoxicated,’ he says. ‘I know things took place, and I understand she was sober.
‘If I had an inclination I was the father, I would have spoken up more clearly. I was drunk that night and I wasn’t quite with it, so I don’t know exactly how it went but I know something happened between us.
‘And I have said to her that I want to do a DNA test, I want to find out. If I thought I was ever the father of someone’s child I would want to know and clear it up. That’s where I stand with it.’
Jonny, right, has offered a paternity test to Charlotte and Penelope after it was revealed something happened on a night out
He adds: ‘I said to Charlotte, “Look we both know what happened here. Should we do a DNA test because of what has happened?”
‘Originally she said “yes”. When it came to me setting it up, I haven’t heard back from her since. So I don’t know what is going on.’
One person who seems to be certain about what occurred is Jonny’s ex-wife and mother of his children, Lauren Ward.
It was (i)she(i) who sent a message to Conor Maynard, claiming her husband had slept with Charlotte at the same time he had.
The pair had split before filming for The Traitors had even begun and Jonny says he is baffled about how she could have known of the events of that fateful night.
But then Conor shared a video with his 2.8million Instagram followers which stated Jonny could be the father.
Having been backed into a corner, Jonny now feels he has no choice but to publicly speak out.
Conor in the video to his 2.8million Instagram followers where he revealed Jonny’s ex-wife messaged him
Conor with fiancee Kitty Bertrand as they announce their engagement
‘He [Conor] hasn’t reached out to me privately. It was a complete shock to me. I know if I was in his shoes I would have tackled it completely differently. It shouldn’t have been made public in the first place.’
He says he feels ‘betrayed’ by his ex wife’s actions.
‘I’ve just tried to be a good dad,’ he says. ‘I’ve tried to get on and deal with my trauma.’
Jonny – who has since worked with small military charities like Hounds For Heroes – met Charlotte at a train station in the Scottish Highlands as they arrived to start filming The Traitors, which was screened in January 2024.
He recalled: ‘Me and Charlotte… had a laugh, everyone was quite jokey and flirty. It was quite a friendly environment.
‘I stated to Charlotte many times that I’m not interested in a relationship. I had come out of a messy relationship, and that wasn’t what I was looking for.
‘I get on with everyone and we just got on… I get on with everyone. We all stayed in touch after the series.’
Certainly, Jonny seems vulnerable. While he has a good support system around him, he is still struggling with his ongoing health issues and is now at the heart of an online media storm.
‘I do try to be positive, but PTSD doesn’t go away. I have dark days and good days, and I remind myself of that when I’m having a bad time with mental health that it will get positive again.’
So how can Charlotte possibly believe Conor – who recently announced his engagement to his girlfriend Kitty Bertrand – is the father of her child in the face of two negative DNA tests?
In an interview with The Sun she said a rare medical condition may explain all: ‘I have researched and researched trying to find the answers because I know for a fact that the only person who can be my daughter’s father is Conor.
And finally, after speaking to experts, I have found out that what might have happened is I could have been carrying twins but lost one very early.
‘Then strange genetics come into play, which means that twin could have taken certain DNA so her father could never show up on a paternity test. It is something called chimerism.’
Chimerism is a condition where an organism is composed of cells from different genetic origins, meaning it has two distinct sets of DNA.
It can occur through natural processes like a twin pregnancy, where two fertilised eggs fuse.
Charlotte added that having twins runs in her family, and so it makes sense to her that Penelope could have been a twin.
On this, Jonny is clear: ‘I think for everyone’s sake – and for Penelope’s sake – there is a young child who needs to find out who her father is.’
