Made in Chelsea Star ‘secretly homeless’ due to £5m court fight with father figure’s widow
The Made in Chelsea TV star was living a secret life of “homelessness and financial distress” after a row over her mother’s wealthy ex-boyfriend’s £38million fortune, a court heard.
Behind “highly curated” social media feeds that appeared to showcase a “rich and carefree” lifestyle, “Posh PT” Lonan O’Herlihy had actually lost his long-term girlfriend and been “left homeless and dependent on the generosity of friends to keep a roof over his head”, London’s High Court was told.
Mr O’Herlihy’s mother, Pamela, a writer and painter, was in a relationship with multimillionaire vintage car and aircraft collector Hugh Taylor between 1995 and 2003; The TV star was a man who she claimed was like a “dad” to her.
After Mr Taylor died in 2019 and left behind a £38 million estate including classic cars, luxury properties and a Second World War-era Hawker Hurricane plane, the reality star sued him and demanded “reasonable consideration” from the estate of up to £5 million.
But his legal battle has brought him nothing but pain so far, he told the Supreme Court this week, and blamed the breakup with his girlfriend and the loss of his home on “the extraordinarily aggressive approach taken by Jennifer’s legal advisers in fighting the case.”
His barrister, Hugh Jeffery, told Deputy Judge William Henderson: “Lonan is currently in a precarious financial position. He has been able to earn a reasonable income as a personal trainer… but he has no savings, no capital assets and very significant debts.”
“In addition, due to the extraordinarily aggressive approach of Jennifer’s legal advisors in this matter, he has split from his long-term girlfriend; he has been homeless since March and is dependent on the generosity of friends to keep a roof over his head.
“He owed his ex-partner Millie £28,994 in litigation and living expenses.
“In response to this statement, Jennifer’s legal representatives took the extraordinary step of writing to Millie on 16 January 2025, threatening to apply for an extra-party costs order against Millie on the grounds that Lonan was ‘seeking provision so that you no longer need to support her financially.’
“Lonan and Millie have since separated as a direct result of that letter. This left Lonan ‘homeless’ and in even more serious financial distress.
“Jennifer attempts to rely on Lonan’s social media presence as evidence that he leads a flamboyant and carefree lifestyle, an approach that confuses highly curated online content with reality.
“Lonan believes that any court would first look at Lonan’s bank statements and tax returns, which amply document his relatively modest means.
“Lonan is in real financial trouble. Due to Jennifer’s aggressive litigation stance, he separated from his long-term partner, who was loaning him money to cover his accommodation expenses at the time.”
The court previously heard that the late Hugh Taylor, who was in a relationship with Mr O’Herlihy’s mother until 2003, met and later married Jennifer Taylor and was still with her when she died.
Under a will written in 2015, almost all of his money and possessions, as well as his collection of classic cars and planes, went to his widow, leaving Lonan with nothing.
She is now suing for a £5 million payout from the estate, claiming she remained close to Mr Taylor after splitting with his mother, but that Mrs Taylor “phased out” her from her new husband’s life after they married in 2010.
Explaining the background to the argument, solicitor Mr Jeffery added: “In 2011, there was a lunch at Eastington Hall (Mr Taylor’s Tudor estate) to which Lonan was invited… there was an argument at lunch. Jennifer ‘screamed’ at Lonan saying ‘everything is for my girls’, meaning Lonan could not expect to inherit any assets after Hugh’s death.”
“Hugh was showing signs of cognitive decline at this point. Lonan recalls that he occasionally fell asleep at the wheel of his car and appeared disheveled and vulnerable.
“Lonan’s strong and long-standing relationship with Hugh suddenly and unexpectedly deteriorated in the context of Jennifer’s intense efforts to separate Hugh from his former family and his cognitive decline, which left him vulnerable to Hugh’s influence in this respect.
“Hugh passed away on June 2, 2019. The cause of death was Alzheimer’s disease. Jennifer did not allow Lonan to attend the funeral.”
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Richard Wilson KC, speaking on the widow’s behalf earlier in the hearing, described the claim as “opportunistic” and said it should be rejected, highlighting the private list Mr O’Herlihy had sent him.
He said this included a £3 million property in Queen’s Gate Place, South Kensington, a 1969-70 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda worth £250,000, a Patek Philippe watch, a Melehior D’hondecoeter painting and £800,000 to buy an investment property.
He told the judge: “The things he wants: a house and investment property, a classic car, an old master painting, an expensive watch – these would send shivers down any wealthy parent’s spine.”
“For a long time before death there was no provision. An adult child was expected to be largely self-reliant.
“It would send shivers down the spine of anyone who has entered into a relationship to think that it entitles them to the kind of lavish lifestyle suggested in this case.”
Mr O’Herlihy said he needed help from Mr Taylor’s estate to ensure Mr Taylor maintained an “adequate” standard of living; Mr Taylor grew up on a Tudor estate and had his private school fees and university education paid for by his mother’s then-partner, the court heard.
Even after he and his mother split, Mr O’Herlihy, now 36, said he remained close to Mr Taylor and received “extravagant birthday gifts” from him, including a £5,000 watch and a £40,000 Audi.
He says he had a “father-son” relationship with Mr Taylor and was promised by him that he would take over his lucrative property business.
But the TV star says Taylor was slowly “cut out” of his life after he married Jennifer in 2010 and was “not allowed” to attend her funeral in 2019.
He says his current financial situation is “precarious” and he is seeking a deduction of £5 million through maintenance from his estate under the Inheritance Act 1975 to allow him to live the lifestyle he was accustomed to while under Mr Taylor’s wing.
Reality TV star Mr O’Herlihy joined the cast of ‘Made in Chelsea’ in 2014 for its eight series, starring alongside the likes of Spencer Matthews and Alexandra ‘Binky’ Felstead.
He worked as a personal trainer in Knightsbridge and boasted famous clients such as Ed Westwick, who played bad boy Chuck Bass in the TV show ‘Gossip Girl’.
A graduate of Malvern College and Oxford Brookes University, where he studied real estate, Mr O’Herlihy also appeared as the cover star of Men’s Fitness magazine.
When Mr Taylor, a property dealer and classic car and aircraft enthusiast, died, he left an estate worth £38,540,357, including the proceeds from the sale of his Grade I-listed mansion, Eastington Hall, near Upton upon Severn, Gloucestershire, which he bought for £3.15 million in 1997.
Between 1995 and 2003, Mr O’Herlihy was in a “committed romantic relationship” with his mother Pamela, a writer and painter, during which time he, Lonan and his brother Rogan lived as “a family unit”, Mr O’Herlihy said. Mr O’Herlihy told the court: “Hugh was a father to me and I was a son to him.”
Mr O’Herlihy is seeking permission to time-bar his claim for money from the estate because he missed the normal six-month window for bringing claims after Mr Taylor’s death.
