19-07-2025
Mum lied about being my sister until I was 11 then stabbed me in heart with knife – it's like something from EastEnders
IN her own words, Keiley Ibrahim's life has been like something from EastEnders.
Until she was 11, she did not know that Kat Goodfellow, the woman she saw as her fun older sister, was in fact her mum.
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And years later, when she tried to bond with her on Mother's Day, Kat stabbed her in the heart with a kitchen knife, leaving her in a coma.
Keiley, 34, says: 'I still find it strange to say I survived being stabbed in the heart by my own mother, who lied to me for years, saying she was my sister.
'Until I was about 11, I believed my nan was my mum.
"I discovered the truth one night when me and Nan had a row and she screamed, 'I'm not your mum, Kat is'.'
Kat had got pregnant at 14, so Keiley's nan said she would bring the baby up together with her other nine children.
After Keiley discovered the truth, she would go and stay with Kat, a nightclub dancer in London, eventually moving from Southend to be close to her.
But in an exclusive interview, she said: 'She just wasn't fit for motherhood, despite me wanting her to be. She never acted like a mum.
'We didn't have that bond. Our relationship grew toxic. She drank too much and picked fights with strangers and family alike.
'But she was my mum. After I had my little girl, who is now ten, I wanted her to be a grandmother, too.'
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'All hell broke loose'
In March 2023, Keiley's grandad died. She says: 'We were both devastated.
"After the funeral, my boyfriend at the time and I returned to Mum's house to help her decorate.
'But she started drinking. She was a violent alcoholic.'
When Keiley gave her flowers and a card on Mother's Day, two days after the funeral, Kat was furious that her daughter had not also given her a bottle of wine.
She just wasn't fit for motherhood, despite me wanting her to be. I'll never speak to her again. I was better off with Nan as my mum
Keiley, who worked as a silver service waitress, says: 'All hell broke loose. She was upset, drunk, picking for a fight.
'My boyfriend and I locked ourselves in the bedroom, but she kept screaming.
'He went to try and talk. She turned on him, then me. She stormed off to the kitchen, came back and grabbed me and then I thought she hit my chest.'
Keiley breaks down in tears as she recalls: 'After the thud, I realised it really hurt.
'I looked down, blood poured from my chest and mouth and I remember saying, 'Mum, you've stabbed me'. I got out of the house and collapsed in the street.
"I remember a neighbour calling 999.'
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In fact, Keiley had been stabbed with a 6in knife, puncturing her heart valve and the sac around her heart.
She was in a coma for two weeks and told it was a miracle the surgeons had saved her life.
Despite everything, Keiley still spoke to Kat, 48, who was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for two years, and told to undergo alcohol treatment.
She says: 'She told me she hadn't stabbed me, but I had stabbed myself. It was like another stab in the heart, no sorry from her, no apology.
"I felt ashamed to have her as a mother. I went off the rails a bit then. I couldn't work as I was too ill and I'm ashamed to admit I shoplifted some food.'
It was only after meeting husband Ozay, 46, a window fitter, that Keiley, who now lives in Reading, turned her life around.
She says: 'I don't know if she meant to kill me. I like to think not. I begged everyone to be lenient on her, not to send her to prison, because she is my mum.
"But I gave evidence behind a screen because mentally it was too much for me.'
Keiley adds: 'I will never speak to her again. I don't need her in my life. I was better off with Nan as my mum. She is now quite old and frail and it is sad for her that all of this has happened.
'I haven't been able to work since the attack. Mentally, I'm not strong enough. But I am getting there with the help of my husband.
'And I am finally living a peaceful life instead of one with more twists and turns than EastEnders.
'I've forgiven Kat for what she has done, because carrying hate only hurts me. But I will never forget what she did.'
Last night, Kat said: 'How is this going to benefit Keiley and how is it going to affect me?
'As far as I'm concerned I've been convicted unfairly.'
