Forgotten Mothers UK
General => Articles => Topic started by: Forgotten Mother on August 09, 2024, 04:10:12 PM
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13662721/Long-Lost-Family-viewers-broken-sobbing.html?login¶m_code=4ggp707h17c3q8z6hzbj¶m_state=eyJyZW1lbWJlck1lIjpmYWxzZSwicmFuZG9tU3RhdGUiOiIzZDZkZDE0MS1lMzM5LTRjOWUtOWUyYS0yZDdmODYzOGRhNDAifQ%3D%3D¶m__host=www.dailymail.co.uk¶m_geolocation=row&base_fe_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2F&validation_fe_uri=%2Fregistration%2Fp%2Fapi%2Ffield%2Fvalidation%2F&check_user_fe_uri=registration%2Fp%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fuser_check%2F&isMobile=false
Long Lost Family viewers are left 'broken' and 'sobbing their hearts out' as woman, 71, reunites with her son 55 years after she was forced to give him up for adoption by her ashamed mother
READ MORE: Woman, 61, is reunited with brother she never knew she had 60 years after they were separated when their 'cruel' adoptive parents sent him back to the children's home
By Alanah Khosla For Mailonline
Published: 17:41, 23 July 2024 | Updated: 17:54, 23 July 2024
Long Lost Family viewers have revealed their heartbreak after watching last night's episode of the ITV show. The moving British documentary series, hosted by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, reunites family members after years of separation, with many participants forced to live apart from relatives due to factors out of their control. In a touching third episode of the series, which aired on Monday evening, a mother and son reunited after 55 years apart. Grandmother Sue Stalley, from Bedfordshire, was still at school when she got pregnant. Her mother forced the pregnant teen to give up her son, Richard, five weeks after his birth. But thanks to the Long Lost Family team, Sue's son, now named Steve, was discovered in the Netherlands, and the duo reunited in emotional scenes, with viewers claiming that while it was 'great TV', they were unable to 'stop the tears'. Viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts on Sue and Steve's emotional journey. One said: 'I haven't watched Long Lost Family is ages and here I am, I can't stop the tears. It's such great TV'.
A second said: '12 minutes in a I'm crying. [It is] a record, I think. #LongLostFamily'. A third added: 'Just broken, I'm sobbing my heart out, lovely programme.'
'Long Lost Family sets me off every single time,' another said. A fifth added: 'I've got something in my eye...#LongLostFamily'. Another added: 'Time to cry my way through Long Lost Family'.
Another joked: 'That was a brilliant episode of Long Lost Family. I'm so pleased for the families being reunited. Could the show sell some merch? Usual things, mugs, clothing, bedding etc., but also "eye gutters" for when you're absolutely in bits.'
The episode revealed how Sue's mother was so ashamed of her daughter's pregnancy that she forced her to wear a thick coat throughout to hide the growing baby bump. Despite Sue being just a teenager when she first became pregnant, she was convinced that she could look after her baby. She recalled: 'My boyfriend said, "well, let's get married". But his mum said no, we're far too young. So it didn't happen. My mum was mortified, to say the least. I'd brought shame on the family. She bought me this massive thick coat, and it was the middle of summer, and I was walking around with this big coat on and everyone kept saying, "are you cold?" and I'd have to go "yeah, I'm cold", so nobody knew I was pregnant.'
Sue's family decided that she would give the child up for adoption and sent her to a nearby mother and baby home, where Sue was miserable and desperate to keep her son after his birth. 'I did try, I did say to her, "I don't want to get the baby adopted, I want to keep him" and they said no, you're too young,' Sue recalled.
Sue tried to return home and ask her mother to reconsider, but the parent refused. Sue spent five weeks with Richard before she had to hand him over to foster care. She recalled on the show: 'He wasn't taken and then fostered straight away, I looked after him for that five weeks. It was lovely, you've got this little thing in your arms, he needs you, and you need him. He's yours. And no one can take that away from you. He'll always be mine,' added the mother, who went on to have five more children.
Five weeks after Richard's birth, Sue was told a foster family had been found for him: 'I was told to pack my bags, leave the baby in the nursery and just go. I didn't get to say goodbye. I just cried all the way through it, it wasn't what I wanted. But then what I wanted didn't come into it I don't think.'
She added: 'Afterwards I went home, I got myself a job, still was seeing my boyfriend, and then I found out I was pregnant again. My mum hit the roof, and I thought, I can't do this again. I was very determined. I've got to put my foot down. She wanted to get him adopted, but I said no. I said, "if you keep saying I've got to get him adopted, I'll move out and I'll take him with me", and with that, she said "let's come to an agreement".'
Sue's mother looked after the baby in the day whilst Sue was at work. Sue went on to have more children and raised them mainly as a single mother. She has always regretted giving up her first born son, and felt that she could have coped. The team discovered Richard is now called Steve, but they had difficulty locating him in the UK. It was only when they widened their search that they discovered Steve living in the Netherlands. Co-host Nicky Campbell met with Steve to tell him about his birth mother. Steve sympathised with his mother's plight, particularly as he has also brought up his own two children as a single parent. 'My ex wife, she got cancer,' Steve revealed. 'My son was 12, when she died. So I stopped working and brought my son up. And my daughter I had from a different relationship, she came to live with me as well at six-years-old. So I know what it's like bringing kids up on your own, it's tough.'
When co-host Davina McCall told Sue the news that Richard has been found, she was tearful but delighted and couldn't believe the parallels with his single parent status. She also discovered that Steve had been in the military, as has much of her family. Steve, his daughter, and his granddaughter, travelled to meet with Sue, who still lives not far from where he was born. Ahead of their meeting, Steve said: 'It's really important [to meet my birth mother] because you do have a bit of an identity problem, you know. It's a big chunk of your life that you've missed out on, so you want to know a bit, what her life was like, anybody would have a thousand questions to ask, you know. I can't wait.'
Sue was emotional after their first hug and recalled: 'I knew that cuddle from when he was a baby. I felt that immediate bond, it was lovely, it was heartfelt.'
Sue also gifted her son a St Christopher medal to keep him safe on his travels. It was an emotional reunion and Steve met his younger sister Stefanie and her family. 'It just feels amazing that he's back. 55 years and there's my son right in front of me. I've longed for that. My family is complete. I've got all my children, and that is all I ever wanted,' said Sue.
Steve added: 'Fantastic we'll be a family now it just feels natural.'