Long Lost Family Series 7 Episode 5 23rd Aug 2017

for thousands of people across Britain someone is missing from their lives I don't know her but she's my mom she gave me life and I need to know who that person is my son is out there somewhere if I could just see him for one and tell him that I love him with all my heart he's my brother I'm part of him he's part of me and if before I pass away I could find him I go to heaven happy finding someone when the trails gone cold can feel like an impossible task but that's where we step in she's been found offering a last chance to people desperate for help no Daria does from DNA technology to painstaking detective work we've traveled the world uncovering family secrets and tracing people but no one else could find a unit and I've got the test results here the DNA test oh my god and finally answering questions that have haunted entire lives and catchy founders I'm sorry it took so long this week two stories of lives turned upside down by unexpected revelations a man longing to find the brother his mom never told him about there must have broken her heart absolutely broken her heart to keep that secret and a woman searching for the father she fears may not want to be found we may not even know exist and not want to know but it's my dad and it hurts not having him in my life [Music] our first search is on behalf of a man who's desperate to find the brother who's been missing from his family for nearly 60 years I feel a bond with John even though we'd never met he's out there somewhere he was a family secret and back then I think secrets remain secret are you sorry I am 53 year old policeman Richard Beck he lives in Sutton with his wife Karen he grew up with his parents Margaret and Arthur on a farm in Kent the youngest of three siblings this is a picture of myself my brother and my sister Rachel and me in the middle I had a very happy childhood being the youngest you know I think I was bought rotten especially our mums she spoiled me all the time I was very close to my mom she was an incredibly kind and open person I did feel like she shared everything with a she was a good mom she was a very good mom but in 2002 six years after his mother passed away everything Richard thought he knew about her was turned on its head you know with the blue we had a phone call from my mom's brother my own Frank he said that he had some news about our mum and he told us that my mum had two children and prior to marrying my father uncle frank revealed that in 1943 margaret had given birth to a daughter Jenny and then six years later in 1949 to her son John like many unmarried mothers at the time she'd had to give both children up for adoption it was just staggering because I knew my mum I thought I knew everything about her so in the first instance there was this feeling of almost betrayal that she kept that secret but Richards uncle had another revelation my uncle told us Jenny had contacted my mum back in 1984 but unfortunately at that time my mum made its decision and that decision was that she wasn't gonna meet Jenny it was incredibly hard to find out that Jenny her being in touch and we didn't know anything about it knowing about mom it must have broken her heart absolutely broken her heart to keep that secret after hearing about Jenny and John our first instinct was that we needed to find them other than his name and date of birth there was no information about John but Richard and his siblings did have a lead for Jenny Uncle Frank knew her surname from when she'd been in touch nearly 20 years earlier and they found Jenny living near Biggles Wade in Bedfordshire we went to where she lived and I remember walking in and seeing her I'm thinking you are the spitting image of my mom she was so similar to my mom's uncanny [Music] it's see I'm meeting them for the first time was a little bit unnerving because it was just so unexpected it was a long time had gone by since me and Margaret had been in touch but it was just amazing this would have been 1984 although Margaret hadn't felt able to meet Jenny she did explain why in a letter one could not give birth to a child and feel nothing and for many years I wondered and thought about her I have given this much thought and do feel that the possibility of meeting could not be considered as this would only be done by deceiving my husband and family unless I would not wish to do you sincerely Margaret Lee I was disappointed she chose not to see me she obviously didn't want to share it with with her family so we had no more contact it was tough to read what she'd said and to see that we've been given as a reason why she hadn't wanted to meet Jenny I always got the feeling that she was perhaps protecting herself yes more than protecting us yeah it was just such a terrible shame because we would have been delighted to discover back then that we had a sister and that we had a brother who's this it's Roy it's been wonderful having Jenny and her family in our lives but we know nothing about John whatsoever despite searching for 14 years Richard still no closer to finding their missing brother one of the things I've always done is have a little toast to him wherever he is in the world and just say good luck good luck and I hope their lives treated you well and think about it's really important to find him we just want to make the family complete and for the past 14 years that that's kind of all they've ever wanted [Music] in almost all cases when a baby's adopted they're given a new identity what we needed was John's new name Thanks Hey but because of the need to protect the identity of adopted children the only way we could find this was by working with a specialist intermediary legally allowed to access records we were told that John had been adopted by the Nicklin family in Manchester but after 1968 we couldn't find any record of [Applause] then we had a breakthrough John had an older sister Doreen we traced her and she gave us John's new address in Brisbane Australia John emigrated when he was 19 [Music] these widowed and works as a handyman [Music] thanks John was a family secret for nearly 50 years I wonder how he'll feel when he finds out his mother kept his existence hidden all her life now that rich has come looking for him is John ready to become part of the family [Music] hey hey yo John maybe well thank you nice to see you it's a real pleasure to meet you project yeah so what was your reaction when you found out that Richard was trying to find you I thought goodness the thing I've got a brother a half-brother it's it's amazing very exciting it as well I never thought I would find out though so they found my members do you have blood found anywhere no no I got married in 83 and walked out in 93 but yeah I started after that I thought I'm doing not to have children tell me I was sort of thing but you never had children yeah the only family I've ever known is what my adopted family and that was it what was your adoption like was it happy yeah I'm so lucky that I had adopted parents who were so good and looked after me I think I was under ten years old when my mother told me that it was adopted and she said my parents were killed in a car crash really was it upsetting it was and you know if that was what happened well it was sort of final and I thought well get on with the life you know and then one of the reasons why I came to Australia was I can shut the door and they donít you know and then no some something life-changing like this comes along he finally got the blood family and somewhere and I said you know a lot to take in so how long's we could be looking for me well since you found out about you more than ten years ago now because Richard had absolutely no idea about your existence until your birth mother had passed on she clearly wasn't able to tell him about you it's a shame because I really love to imagine before now but I could see you in you know you could have could have upset the family it was been very hard I heard to hang on to it and around but I can understand that you know so Richard is 14 years younger than you are and he of course grew up with his father and your mother and Richard also grew up with two other older siblings a sister Rachel as a sister and a brother handy as well amazing the other thing I need to tell you about is that six years prior to your being born your mother Margaret had had a little girl who'd been given up for adoption as well Jenny Jenny yeah sorry that's better than me gee that's terrific don't believe it I thought I was the only one in the world yeah so there is your brother that Richard goodness nothing you know to counter person I feel something it's a fellow convention or something straight away and then there why but I'm like it's like you always have somebody else is just as and others and all of sudden this you've got your own sisters and brothers you know you said I can't wait to see them you know give a great hug Justin Ellis family that parable but before we tell Richard his brother's been found our second search comes from County Durham and a woman longing for the father she's never met [Music] this is my dad with my mom it was taken in a four-door booth the day that he left I look at it every day it's all I've got of him I don't know who he is I don't know where he is but this gives me hope that he's out there somewhere pediatric nurse Kelly Anderson Leybourne lives in cm with her husband Steve and two children I love being a mom my kids they're everything to me I mean yeah the naughty Italians I've loved every minute that I've ever spent with them and Steve has a really good relationship with the kids it's so important seeing them having a father figure right like I've always tried to encourage that because I didn't have that Kelly grew up as the eldest of five siblings but when she was 15 the man she'd always thought of as her father made a revelation that would change her life he took me into the kitchen and put the kettle on and made me a coffee I knew there was something going on because he never made me a coffee and then he sat me down at the breakfast bar and told me that he wasn't my dad [Music] everything fell into place because I just always felt different to my brother and sisters Kelly's mom Joanne explained that Kelly's real father was a man called Richard who she'd met as a teenager it was the start of something I wanted to find out about him Kelly's mom had met Richard in the summer of 1980 when they were both working at this hotel in Campbelltown on the west coast of Scotland mom went to work there straight from school well she was 70 nothing and he was 19 he was just there this is summer job because he was going to university and she said she didn't particularly like him initially thought was a bit arrogant a bit posh and then obviously the he must have won her over but when the summer ended so did Richards job and he returned to his family in London the couple kept in touch by phone but in the era before Mobile's it proved increasingly difficult my mum didn't have a house for him so she had to go at the forum box so if she'd had to plan with him what time she would be ringing in must been so hard and then she found out that she was pregnant you Kelly Anderson Laban's parents met during a summer job in Scotland soon after her father Richard returned home to London Kelly's mum discovered she was pregnant she rung my dad and told him that she was pregnant she said he sounded happy on the phone when he found out but suddenly Richard became hard to reach when my mom would rang his mum would answer the phone I don't know our there he wasn't getting the messages or whether he just didn't want to know you know he was only young and pretty sure I having a baby was not part of his plans when Kelly was born in June 1981 Joanne phoned Richard with the news but once again his mother answered and Joanne never heard from Richard again [Music] 35 years on Kelly wonders if her dad chose to walk away it might be the case that he didn't want to know Dan and he doesn't want to know now but if I hadn't searched Huntley stride I think I would just regret it forever despite her fears that Richard might not want to be part of her life Kelly still longs for her father I've never met him and it's really weird to stare but I love him and it hurts not having her in my life I just want my dad [Music] Kelly's dad Richard was last heard of living in London more than 30 years ago there was no trace of him in the city anymore and as Kelly didn't know a dad state of birth this was going to be a challenging search for months all our searches for Richard drew a blank but Kelly's mom did remember one key detail that gave us a fresh lead Richard had been friendly with the son of the couple who ran the hotel in cameltoe a friend's name was Simon and we managed to track him down he'd lost touch with Richard years ago but he was able to give us a vital new clue Simon and Richard had met when they were both students at an exclusive boarding school in Edinburgh so we searched school records thanks we couldn't find Richard but we did spot someone with the same surname who was just a few years younger we contacted him and he told us that Richard was his half-brother and put us in touch after eight months dead ends we'd finally found Kelly's dad [Music] now in his fifties Richard lives just 30 miles away from Carrington high we contacted him with the news that Kelly was searching and he asked to meet me [Music] ever since she was 15 Kelly has been desperate to know her father but where has rich had been all these years did he choose not to know his daughter and 35 years later will he want to be a dad to Kelly [Music] thanks very much [Music] Bridget hi Nikki how are you good to see it thank you very much man you too we've got lots to talk about yes yes did you know you had a daughter no no I didn't there's such a surprise it's incredible feeling absolute incredible why do you remember from Python Joanne Kelly's Kelly's mom had said that she thought she might have been pregnant so I think because I didn't hear anything from her I thought that maybe it wasn't true because um Joanne said she phoned your mother to say the baby had been born did you get any of those messages no I didn't um I think that bits quite hard to realize that it was kept from me labor your mother he was protecting you maybe she thought it was for the best you know I think she must have done I don't see it that way now knowing that you have a daughter do you feel that you should have tried harder to find out if she existed yes yes you can't get back all those years so that's something I'm gonna have to live with what I did what I didn't do and from the very moment that Kelly found out about you you have been this massive focus in her life I think so there's a lot to live up to isn't it I think I'm sad for her doctor for me I really wish I'd known then yeah I understand would you like to see a photograph of her I would love to the heavens that's fantastic I didn't have any expectation of what she look like good imagine earth it's funny how life changes sort of in a moment is everything different now yeah can't wait for me to try and make up for lost time it's incredible [Music] [Music] since the age of 15 pediatric nurse Kelly Anderson Leybourne has dreamt of meeting her father [Music] we found Kelly's dad and I'm on my way to give her the news we had EES been longing to find her dad for 20 years and you know there's a part of her that's afraid that he might not want to be found but I'm really pleased to be able to tell her that he's thrilled and he can't wait to stop making up for lost time [Music] hey you didn't thank you you were 15 when you found out about your dad 15 such a sensitive age isn't it how did you deal with that initially I was just kind of oh good that's good and I was fine with that and the following day I mean my mom did have a conversation where she kind of gave me his name and kind of what had happened and that was enough at the time and then it was as the years went on that it really started to kind of be something that I act for and really desperately wanted like it's hard so in your mind's eye what what is your dad like have you every kind of built up a little bit of a picture a little bit I try not to but yeah it's hard not to when all of God's like a fault or your mind starts racing as to what you might be like well we found fail a yeah okay does he want to meet me okay baby I wasn't I don't know what I was expecting the worst that even if he found him he might not want to know me he's really really happy pursue yeah okay he was aware that your mum might have said you know I think I might be pregnant and then he didn't hear again so he assumed that she wasn't okay and that's that was that and then he read it as she broke off contacts but actually in retrospect now he can see that his mum probably intercepted the calls and that's what happened that's why they lost contact and I kind of hoped that would be the case it was quite important to Richard that you know that he just didn't know about you yes so he wasn't deliberately out of your life that was never gonna hold a grudge like even if he if it had been a case of at that time he'd just gone this is too much and I was 35 years ago hopefully we'll have many years to kind of to make up for anywhere obviously you've had a photo for years but I've got an updated one yeah trying to say that he is thank you oh my goodness I think you look like him like I always wondered if I did I think I didn't at the little photo and things like I thought that I did that I look similar just makes me feel I don't know a little bit better than a little bit closer to him already and we haven't even met today three weeks after we told Kelly that we found her father she's going to meet him for the first time this is one of the most important things I've ever done and I never thought that it would happen I have been waiting a really long time for this it's life-changing I've made a photo album to show him what I've done with my life like all the things that he has missed and but that he might like to to say [Music] Kelly oh you look lovely be ready yes all right let's go today is the day you're gonna meet your dad yeah do you think it's gonna change you yeah oh and so a lot of things I think it'll make me a little bit a bit more contact even though I thought I might never ever meet like everything I've done in my life I have like in the back of my mind thought why did the proud that I've done there so I've done that so I want him to be proud of me he will be [Music] father and daughter are going to meet at a hotel in the heart of Newcastle directly between where they both live [Music] right it's good to see you again how I am how I excited more than anything else let's go any worries yes little bit of fear something to live up to do you feel sad that you've missed all that time no I mean what I think hugely yes yes regret a huge amount of regrets because there are lots of memories that just we won't have had to get there and I don't think I can ever completely accept missing all those moments at all - so precious and unique but today is about the whole future it's a big moment take a deep breath thank you so much good luck thank you Thanks [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] it's quite strange isn't it to think after all this time of wanting to meet him that he is that close and I mean so much I'm getting nervous [Music] right I'm gonna say goodbye to you here cuz your dad's in that mm-hmm good luck Thanks [Music] how lovely to see it thank you thank you so much or look it doesn't mean a huge amount thanks for saying yes I didn't honestly think it would ever like there was a big part of me just thought this day will never happen there's nothing I can do the past 35 years yeah I think the main thing is I believe we're here now it's from now on that's really important definitely yeah I just kind of made like a photo album all lovely if me when I was little and kind of things that have happened over the years and other kids as well it's pretty cool interview thank you that was me newborn yeah totally my christening day I'm not sure how old I will have been then it's just incredible to be able to catch up on so much it's nice so quickly and yet there's so much more to discover and to find out I'm sooo beautiful then as well as now she's incredible help me and I felt very much like she was my daughter I felt like her father and from now on that's what it's going to be like to learn all this about she was just fantastic I'm also really on says how proud I am because I haven't said it in years I'm only 35 there will be lots of more years to come like there's lots of things we can still do this definitely feels like the beginning of a relationship do see us being able to kind of go on from today and have that kind of relationship that I've been longing for so I'm looking forward to doing all the things that we've not been able to do yet and make up for lost time and get to know each other better I'm so happy to actually meet my dad and it just means everything [Music] you you policeman Richard Beckley was in his 30s when he discovered that his mother had given two children John and Jenny up for adoption Richard did manage to trace his sister Jenny but John's still missing from the family and for more than 10 years he's tried to track John down so he can tell him that he's got a whole family who are desperate to meet him and now that John's been found he finally can [Music] hey Richard hazing your rights good Angie thank you thanks very much thanks for the tea how long have you been looking for John for 14 years it's so hard when you have so little information yeah we had a date of birth but that's all we had so I mean well why do you want to find him he's my brother I mean no we met Jenny 14 years ago and it was it's been a great relationship ever since so I would just really love to meet him just to be able to say this is the family these are the siblings and you are part of that because he came from the same place you know well you can meet him because we found him okay my big fear was that he's older now and that there maybe maybe it wouldn't be possible to meet him forever reason burn yeah that's that's them I didn't expect that where is he he's in Australia he's in Australia Australia he's in Brisbane so how did he feel when he found out completely blown away yeah because he'd been told that he'd been given up for adoption because his parents have died and so he had no idea no idea so he was so moved that he'd been looking for him for so long and that you haven't given up I know it's tough that that is so hard for instance I'm a he had a good childhood okay his adoptive parents were lovely yeah he just didn't think of looking because he for what you know as far as he was concerned there was nothing to find you know it it makes kind of searching kind of worth it because because of what he'd been told because of you know the yeah isn't that incredibly unfair you know it's half certain to be in that situation can I give you a hug yeah when did he go to Australia when did he was 19 okay he's brought up in Manchester okay and he's been back once in the seventies he did marry in 1983 yeah but sadly his wife died I'm so sorry and they didn't have any children so this idea of a family yeah it's really right excited that's wonderful it really is and I know my my brother must my sisters their reaction it's gonna be just like mine yeah that's your brother Wow that's incredible he looks really familiar he looks like a member of their family he looks like such a nice guy that's just extraordinary to see that I'm so happy that's my brother come with me sir today Richard and his siblings are going to meet John the brother who's been missing from their family [Music] I'm feeling nervous it's almost unbelievable that today has come round and we're actually gonna meet him after this many years this is a big thing I mean a huge thing for me I hope you'll like us I hope we get on John has made the ten thousand mile journey from Brisbane to London to meet Richard and his siblings very excited nervous it's not just one person it's the whole family I've been looking for so long after so many years have not knowingly existed it's just amazing this is my own flesh and blood [Music] hello are you Richard and Jenny adjoining their other siblings and Ian Rachel at a hotel close to Richard's home but they'll be reunited with their brother sorry dude bit apprehensive I'm just hoping that John isn't feeling very overwhelmed because I know how I felt when I first met them four is five the siblings to be together it's gonna be incredible [Music] this is the moment that whatever secrets were kept in the past for whatever reasons they become irrelevant [Music] now it's all about John it's about us and it's about a family being together for the first time [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] so good to sit down yeah it's amazing you know four months ago was mowing the lawn and going to work everyone although something everything's happened you know it's in well you realize how much it means to us that you you finally joined us after all this time after my wife had died in 93 and they'll be forbidden dependent to you but no immediate family become of it isolated as well you know it just means so much yeah I mean basically you you were always there you know you're always there and you know it's just great it's come to this yeah always it's only a great one for you do you know if you hadn't persevered this yeah it's great because you think we're gonna have a chance to get to know you you know it's just amazing how it's all just sort of falling into place complete as a family which is a wonderful thing the way we should be I felt an incredible connection with John when we met for the moment he walked in it's like I've known him all my life that's gorgeous I'm very happy he didn't feel the stranger it like his big sister the deal the first instincts I felt when I met them all was that I belong here they felt like the a family they belong to me they're my brothers and sisters now I've got some photographs of mum I'd love to see them so that's probably the oldest one I really wish mom could have seen what happened today to her it would have been a way of perhaps healing all the choices that she had to make I can see the family resemblance there against all the odds John is there and it feels like we're a complete family I don't realize it yet but this that wasn't me no big time [Music] next time on long-lost family a daughter longing for the father who disappeared from her life [Music] he's my dad I've never met why did he not come back under woman searching for her twin sisters after more than 60 years apart my sisters for six months when they were took away all of a seven-year in the house and they're not there anymore [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Long Lost Family 2017

Views: 488,288

Rating: 4.753315 out of 5

Keywords: Long Lost Family, Series 7, Episode 5

Id: cA9u2LpDZUI

Length: 45min 22sec (2722 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 04 2017