Elle Ferguson has revealed a devastating family truth she carried quietly for decades, opening up about the father she never met and the shock discovery she made.
Speaking to Stellar Magazine, the former The Block contestant shared how her biological father walked out of her life when she was just five days old and later died without ever acknowledging her as his child.
Fans of the renovation show may already know that Elle and her younger half-sister Lucie spent years caring for their mother Kim, a former Miss Australia, before she died from cancer in 2015.
What many did not know is that Elle had never met her father.
Kim had explained to her daughter that the man, a free-spirited surfer named Brett Walker, was not ready for the responsibility of parenthood.
Despite receiving no financial support, Kim held no resentment and raised her daughters in a loving home.
Elle Ferguson has revealed a devastating family truth she carried quietly for decades, opening up about the father she never met and the shock discovery she made
Speaking to Stellar Magazine, the former Block contestant shared how her biological father walked out of her life when she was just five days old and later died without ever acknowledging her as his child
Elle admits she rarely dwelled on his absence, until the early months of COVID-19 prompted a moment that would change everything.
‘In the past, whenever we drove up, we would go past the turn-off to where my dad lived and always say, “Are we going to Mullaway today to see if we can find my dad?”‘ she said.
‘It never felt like something I needed to do. But during Covid, you had a lot of time to think and evaluate things.’
Armed with only his name and the knowledge that he lived near Mullaway on the NSW north coast, Elle conducted a late-night internet search while travelling with her partner Joel Patfull.
Only one result appeared. It was a funeral notice.
‘Passed away suddenly. Aged 65. Gone surfing,’ Elle recalled reading, revealing her father had died just months earlier.
The notice listed siblings, nieces and nephews but no children.
Stunned, Joel contacted the local general store, where staff confirmed the tight-knit coastal community had held a paddle-out to honour Walker, describing him as a beloved local.
Armed with only his name and the knowledge that he lived near Mullaway on the NSW north coast, Elle conducted a late-night internet search while travelling with her partner Joel Patfull (both pictured)
Read the full interview in this week’s issue of Stellar Magazine
The discovery reopened emotional wounds Elle never expected to confront.
Years earlier, during Kim’s final illness, Walker had reached out asking to speak with his daughter. At the time, Elle chose to focus entirely on caring for her dying mother and could not take on more emotional turmoil.
After learning of his death, she attempted to make contact with his relatives through a lawyer, only to feel shut out.
She later learned the most painful detail of all. Despite being listed as his daughter on her birth certificate, Walker had denied having children in his final will.
‘He hadn’t accepted it,’ Elle said. ‘So it wasn’t me, it was him.’
While the revelation was deeply hurtful, Elle says it ultimately helped her make sense of a lifelong absence.
