Former The Block contestant and influencer Elle Ferguson has shared a deeply personal and painful family revelation, disclosing the truth about the father she never met and a shocking posthumous discovery.
A Lifelong Absence and a Pandemic Search
In a candid interview with Stellar Magazine, Ferguson explained that her biological father, a free-spirited surfer named Brett Walker, left when she was just five days old. He provided no financial support and played no role in her life. Her mother, former Miss Australia Kim, harboured no resentment, raising Elle and her younger half-sister Lucie in a loving home before her death from cancer in 2015.
Elle admitted she seldom dwelled on his absence. However, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, with time for reflection, she decided to act on a long-standing family joke. "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 recalled. "It never felt like something I needed to do. But during Covid, you had a lot of time to think."
The Late-Night Discovery That Changed Everything
Armed only with his name and the knowledge he lived near Mullaway on the NSW north coast, Elle conducted an internet search while travelling with her partner, Joel Patfull. A single result appeared: a funeral notice. "Passed away suddenly. Aged 65. Gone surfing," she read, learning her father had died just months earlier.
The notice listed siblings, nieces, and nephews, but made no mention of any children. Joel contacted a local store, where staff confirmed the tight-knit community had held a paddle-out to honour Walker, describing him as a beloved local figure.
Reopened Wounds and the Ultimate Rejection
The discovery brought back complex emotions. Years prior, during her mother's final illness, Walker had reached out asking to speak with Elle. At the time, she chose to focus solely on caring for her dying mother and did not engage.
After learning of his death, Elle attempted to contact his relatives through a lawyer but felt shut out. She then discovered the most painful detail: despite being named as his daughter on her birth certificate, Brett Walker had denied having any children in his final will.
"He hadn't accepted it," Elle stated. "So it wasn't me, it was him." While the revelation was profoundly hurtful, she says it ultimately provided a form of closure, helping her make sense of a lifelong absence.
