Over the last six years, we've reunited more than 200 people with their long-lost relatives.

They've found her!

[both screaming and laughing] Debbie.

Debbie.

You're my son.

This is my birth mummy, Kate.

[Davina] But the reunion is just the beginning.

-I'm your big brother.

-[laughs] How easy is it to build a relationship after a lifetime apart?

The reunion opened a can of worms.

I've imagined this moment my whole life.

[crying] My whole life.

This is the series where we find out what happened next.

Oh, my darling boy.

This is just unbelievable.

[crying] [Davina] This week, we catch up with four people whose lives have been changed in ways they could never have expected.

[woman] It was just... a moment in my life which I never thought I would have.

[man] We never thought, "Are we prepared to have him in our lives?"

But has the reunion been everything they hoped for?

I've been told not to feel guilty.

But you can't help it.

It was me that did it.

[dramatic music ends] Every year, we take on hundreds of searches for Long Lost Family, and we're never quite sure what we're going to find.

Our first story had the most unexpected outcome of any we've ever uncovered.

It started with a woman who wanted to solve a mystery that had been in her family for over 50 years.

58-year-old mother of three Vanda James lives in Norfolk, not far from the house she grew up in, in Lowestoft, with her single mother, Evie.

It was here when Vanda was 6 that she discovered a surprising secret.

[Vanda] Came back from staying at my grandma's and came in the front door and opened the living room door, and there was a baby.

And the baby was sitting on a gold-colored sofa.

I didn't know if it was a baby girl or a baby boy.

It was just dressed in white.

I remember putting my hand out to touch the baby's hands, 'cause they were so tiny.

It was there for that afternoon when I came back.

And then the baby vanished.

The identity of the baby remained a mystery until Vanda was 10, when she stumbled across a clue.

I sneaked into Mum's bedroom when she was out and opened her bedside cabinet, and then I saw some diaries, and I flicked through, and then I saw there was details of this Kenneth, baby boy born.

So, I thought, "Oh, it was my brother."

And I just wanted to know what happened to him.

But Vanda didn't feel able to ask her mother any questions.

I knew I couldn't speak about it.

I knew it was taboo.

It was Mum's secret, which became my secret.

Vanda's mother passed away in 1990.

When I got to the funeral, I did overhear some whisperings like, "Oh, did she know?"

A cousin revealed to Vanda that Kenneth was the result of an affair between her mother, Evie, and a local married man.

For fear of scandal, the family had insisted her mother gave up the baby for adoption.

I felt very sad that Mum never had the choice.

From that moment, Vanda was determined to bring the secret out into the open and find Kenneth.

If this is all I can do now, to make it okay for what Mum wasn't able to do and for Kenneth, that would be a miracle.

[laughs] We worked with a specialist intermediary who was legally allowed to access adoption records.

They discovered Kenneth's name had been changed to John Best.

The last record we found, he was living in East London in 2007.

[Nicky] With nothing else to go on, the intermediary wrote to John's old address.

Then we received a reply we could never have anticipated.

A woman contacted us to say that she used to be John Best.

She'd undergone gender transition nearly 10 years ago.

John was now Debbie, a transgender woman.

-Hello.

-Debbie.

-Yeah.

-I'm Nicky.

-How nice to meet you.

-You too.

-Would you like to come in?

-I'd love to.

So, how did you feel when you found out Vanda was looking for you?

Was overwhelmed.

Really, I never expected this.

All this time, not knowing.

Not knowing anyone was out there for me.

Vanda's been looking for you and thinking about you for 50 years.

And she remembers this baby on the sofa, and she remembers taking the little baby's hand.

And then you-- very shortly after that, you disappeared.

Wow.

So, there's her, through her life.

And what about your life, what was happening with you?

I really had a great-- great life.

Um, but all my life, I wanted to be a girl.

But it was-- you know, you couldn't do it, it was-- you had to be kept a secret.

And then, when I became Debbie, um, it was a lot lifted off my-- off my shoulders.

I did feel-- feel free.

But, obviously, I'm a female now, and I just feel a little bit, um, little bit, um, scared.

You're scared of what?

She's-- although she's found me, will she be understanding?

So you're worried about her reaction?

I am worried, a little bit worried about it, yeah.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

Obviously, she would have liked for me to be the perfect brother.

But you're still that baby.

Yeah, still that baby, obviously, yeah.

Do you want to see a picture of her?

Yeah, I'd love to see a picture of her, yeah.

[Nicky] That's your sister.

-Beautiful.

-Hmm.

Isn't she?

[Debbie] What a beautiful smile.

[Davina] I went to see Vanda to tell her that her sibling had been found.

I also had to tell her the surprising news that baby Kenneth was now a transgender woman.

So, it's been a mystery, hasn't it?

It's never left me, because I could never find any answers.

I saw him as a baby on the sofa, and I would just like to reach out to him with my arms.

Well, you can.

'Cause your sibling's been found.

I can?

[crying] Oh, wow.

Well, that's-- -It's a miracle.

[laughs] -It is.

But he wants to see me?

Yes.

-He does?

-Yeah.

It's quite-- it's quite a story.

Oh.

[crying] But it's okay, it's a good one.

He had a very happy adoption.

Oh, good.

But I'm gonna tell you something, and it's going to come as a surprise.

It's nothing bad.

It's nothing bad.

It's just gonna be a surprise.

He sort of lived with a secret of his own that he never really felt right... -Oh.

-...in, um, his man's body.

He always felt that he was a woman, and so made the transition nearly a decade ago.

-Wow.

-And, I mean.. -That's really brave.

-It is really brave.

-And changed his name to Debbie.

-Oh, wow.

So, basically, Debbie... -I've got a sister.

-You've got a sister.

You've got a sister, and I know Debbie was really scared about you finding that out.

Oh, was she?

She doesn't have to worry at all.

'Cause it really doesn't matter.

It's just to know that person, no matter what body they've got.

-I've got a picture.

-Have you?

Yeah.

Do you want to see it?

I would love to see it.

Are you ready?

Oh.

My goodness.

[Davina] What do you see?

[Vanda] I see a lot like my mum.

[Vanda] Although I thought I had a brother, I've always wanted a sister.

-And now I've got one.

-[whispering] Yeah.

The sisters met at a hotel in Lowestoft, close to the place where Vanda last saw Debbie as a baby, 50 years ago.

Debbie.

Debbie!

[crying] [muffled voice] Oh, thank you so much.

Come and sit down, come and sit, let me hold your hands.

Oh, you look lovely.

-Oh, thank you.

-You do, you look really lovely.

I loved your photo, 'cause I thought, she's really lovely and happy and smiley.

-Debbie, I'm so proud of you.

-So am I, so am I. I'm so very proud of the woman you've become.

[Debbie] You look beautiful, yeah.

'Cause all I wanted to know was that you'd been alright, and that you'd had a happy childhood and... -[Debbie] And upbringing, yeah.

-Yeah, and.. Lovely upbringing with me, um, me parents.

-Oh.

-And... and my mascara run.

Oh, well, that's a problem, isn't it?

[laughter] Oh, I know.

[laughs] That's always a problem.

[Vanda] I do love you.

Since they were reunited six months ago, Debbie's been to visit Vanda in Lowestoft every few weeks.

As a transgender woman, Debbie had been nervous about how Vanda might feel towards her.

I wasn't her brother, I was someone else.

In 2009, I changed my name by deed poll to be Debbie, and that's who I want to be.

Some people can't accept it, but Vanda accepted me.

It was a relief that she doesn't care who I was.

She accepted me for what I am.

When I found a sister and I was looking for a brother, I just felt joyful.

The sex of the person I was looking for just did not matter one bit.

But she probably wasn't at ease-- I mean, it must have been very difficult, because she must have had a lot of fears and apprehensions.

Life since her transition hasn't always been easy for Debbie.

I feel like a sisterly protection over her to protect her from feeling uncomfortable, protect her from being hurt, protect her from, um, being unhappy.

[Davina] Vanda is embracing her new role as a big sister.

I've always wanted a sister, I always wanted somebody to share, um, girly things with me.

Today she's taking Debbie clothes shopping.

-Oh, I like this shop.

-Hello, hello.

I like to buy nice things and look good.

-[Vanda] Would you have a dress?

-Yeah.

I really do like the way Vanda presents herself.

That's a really good color for you.

I wish I could be like that sort of person.

Or maybe I could.

So, well, I-- I love that.

I do like that.

[Debbie] And see that she's tried to guide me.

It makes me feel special.

[Vanda] Debbie has blossomed.

Maybe she feels more feminine.

With me, Debbie can be more of the person maybe she hasn't been before, or been able to be.

As the sisters get to know each other, Debbie is considering making a life-changing decision.

Just six months after they were reunited, Debbie's spending her birthday with her new big sister Vanda.

It's the first they've ever spent together.

[Debbie] And on my birthday as well.

[Vanda] And on your birthday, it's special.

Vanda's arranged a surprise outing for Debbie, a boat trip on the Norfolk Broads.

She's also invited along her daughter Helen.

[Debbie] It's the first birthday with me new family.

It'll be just be in my memories for a long time.

[Vanda] She has got a family, and I think that's been the biggest impact.

And she feels she's wanted.

-[Vanda] Happy birthday, Debbie.

-[Debbie] Oh.

-A birthday... -Thank you.

...and we did a cake.

Debbie's yet to meet all the members of her extended family, but her new niece Helen is one of the first.

Whenever she's down, we do try and see her.

She has come to mine a couple of times.

We speak.

We message on the phone.

She phones me up quite a lot.

[Vanda] My kids talk about you all the time and want to see you and stuff, so it's all good.

-Do they?

Yeah.

-Yeah.

Being so accepted is a new experience for Debbie.

Yeah, there's always Vanda there for me.

Before, there wasn't.

Can't be who I want to be down in Essex.

And she's come to a life-changing decision.

[Debbie] I've realized that I want to be here.

So that's the reason why I actually started to find places to rent so I can actually live my life who I want to be.

Who I was supposed to be.

[Vanda] I feel that it's a compliment that she wishes to come back to her roots.

She's part of the family.

A big part of the family.

The sisters are now planning for their future together.

[Debbie] I don't really want to rely on her.

I want to be strong, on me own.

But, just as long as I know she's there and, you know, and, um, I'll be-- I'll be there for her as well.

It has gone beyond any expectation.

In Debbie, I've found a sister that I'd always wanted.

[Debbie] I've got someone.

I love her, she loves me, and me life is just getting better.

Our next story was one of our most remarkable cases.

It was the first time we'd been approached by a mum and a dad, both looking for their son together.

But this reunion wouldn't just affect the parents, it would have huge consequences for the whole family.

Sue and Chris Ellerton moved to Ontario Canada in 1981.

Married for over 50 years and now retired, they've never forgotten a decision they were forced to make as teenagers.

We had our first child adopted.

-Yeah.

-You know, all these years down the road, um, you just think, he should have been part of our lives.

Sue and Chris grew up in Scunthorpe, north Lincolnshire, where they became childhood sweethearts at school.

[Sue] Hasn't it changed?

We got on, and we never looked back.

-You haven't changed a bit.

-[laughs] It just felt right, the feelings that we had for one another.

Um, it seemed like the most uh, natural thing.

But when Sue was 14 and Chris was 15, Sue discovered she was pregnant.

I was absolutely horrified.

Mum felt that I'd brought shame on the family.

[Chris] Everybody just wanted to get it done with, forget about it, uh, move on.

Sue was sent to a local mother and baby home and gave birth to a baby boy who the couple named Anthony.

[Sue] Oh, I used to tell him how beautiful he was and how I loved him.

But then, of course, I was going to have to let him go.

After six weeks, Anthony was taken away for adoption.

[Sue] I was heartbroken.

I can remember just crying and crying.

As soon as they were old enough, Sue and Chris got married.

The couple went on to have five more children, but they never forgot about Anthony.

[crying] I need to know that he forgives us for what we did.

Need to know that he's been okay.

[Nicky] We discovered that Anthony was now called Andrew Field.

He's a lorry driver and lives with his partner and their two sons, just outside Peterborough.

It was the first time I'd had to tell someone that both their parents were searching for them, and they were still together.

Thank you.

[Nicky] So, have you always known you were adopted?

No, um, my adoptive father told me, uh, when I was 13.

Better tell you something.

Your birth mother stayed with your father.

And they went on to have five children, and they're both looking for you.

I wasn't expecting that.

At all, wow.

Well that definitely has knocked me for six.

So, I take it I'm the oldest?

You have five siblings.

One, Christian passed away, but you have James, Paul, Suzie, and Adam.

That's a fair thing to get your head round.

Just a bit.

Yeah, all of those years.

And the pair of them have been together all the time.

Well, I've got a photograph of them.

[Andrew] Wow.

That is brilliant.

That really is.

I'm just blown away how much I look like my dad.

And how beautiful my mother is.

Thank you.

[laughs] [Davina] I flew to Canada to give Chris and Sue the good news.

So, what would it mean to you if he was found?

Oh, it would be marvelous, wouldn't it?

-Yeah.

It would.

-Yeah.

[Chris] Yeah.

Well, he has been found.

-[Chris] Hmm?

-He has been found.

-Really?!

-Okay.

Wow, that's-- that's amazing, [laughs] isn't it?

Well, I'll tell you when my heart goes back into here.

Okay.

It's still down here, is it?

[laughs] Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

[Sue] Yeah, get that.

[Chris crying] [Sue] He's upset.

I'll have to go to him, I think.

I'm sorry.

[Sue, crying] Chris.

Are you alright, love?

-[Chris] Yeah.

-[crying] [Chris] God, I never expected this.

[Sue] No... [crying] No.

-[Chris] So... -It's okay.

[Chris] It's stupid.

[Sue] Just have a cry.

Just let it go.

You're letting out what's been in there for years.

Okay.

Think... [Davina] Are you okay?

Sure.

Yeah, yeah.

Like, uh, it's a kind of an elation, um, yeah.

Kind of high.

[Sue] All these years, you've always been so matter-of-fact about it.

And in there, there was all those emotions that you couldn't hold back anymore.

Yeah.

Shall I tell you a bit about him?

-[Sue] Yeah.

-So, his name is Andrew.

-[Chris] Mm-hmm.

-Andrew.

-Yeah.

-Does he live in England?

He does.

I have got a photograph.

Ah, this is amazing.

Are you alright?

-Yeah, yeah.

-[Davina] You alright, Chris?

[gasps] Oh, wow.

Yeah.

[Chris] Yeah, I was kind of hoping he might have had some hair, but I guess the curse... [laughs] Yes, it goes on.

[laughs] Oh that's amazing.

A week later, Andrew flew 3.5 thousand miles to Canada, to meet his parents.

They met in a café in Sue and Chris' local town, Port Dover.

[dramatic musical note] -Oh...!

-Wow.

Wow, it's a mirror.

[laughs] Hello.

[Chris] God, how like.

-Oh, wow.

-Good to meet you.

Oh... -Oh, this is great.

-Hello, Andrew.

That is just like looking in the mirror.

[Andrew] It's incredible.

-[Chris] Think so, yeah.

-[Sue] Yeah.

-[Andre] Alike, alike.

-Have a seat.

-Come on.

-[Sue laughs] [Andrew] You two, obviously, just blown away when-- when I was told that the pair of you were together, that was.

-[Chris] Yeah.

-[Andrew] Incredible.

You know, I just didn't want to part with you at all.

And I really get the sense that you've, um, you've forgiven us for what-- you know.

Well there's nothing to forgive is there?

At all.

Not if you've had a good life.

[Andrew] Exactly.

Your siblings want to get to know you.

[laughs] Do they?

Do you think that they're gonna be alright about me... [Sue] Oh absolutely.

...sort of becoming part of the family?

Oh yeah.

Oh definitely.

You've turned out great.

-Thank you.

-[Sue] Yes!

It's been seven months since Chris and Sue were reunited with Andrew, and they've been in touch every single week.

Andrew's back in Canada with his wife Karen for a holiday.

They're staying with his parents.

[Chris] We're going downtown, aren't we?

[Sue] Going down to the pier.

I think we're meeting Suzie, aren't we?

[Chris] When Davina told us he had been found, I was completely, uh, knocked off balance.

I guess my emotions had always been out there, but not for Chris.

His emotions had been kept, um, in check for 52 [laughs] years.

I've never seen him cry like that.

[Chris] But since we've met Andrew, I think there's maybe a little bit more lightness, uh, in our step.

[Sue] Well, he was always there in my heart anyway.

Just having him here and part of the family now, it really is good.

[Andrew] I still have to pinch myself, really.

"Is this really happening?"

You know.

For 52 years, I've had such a separate life, and then the more that we know each other, how-- how similar we are.

And with four new siblings to get to know, the reunion's given Andrew a family that he knew nothing about.

[Andrew] I have found it quite bewildering at times, and I have reservations about how my brothers and sister may feel towards me.

I don't know whether anybody might have felt that they'd had their nose pushed out of joint.

Andrew's already got to know one of his brothers in the UK and will meet another here in Canada.

Today, he's catching up with his sister Suzie.

This is only the second time they've met.

-Ah!

[laughs] -Hiya.

How are you?

-Good, good to see you again.

-Good to see you.

[Andrew] Never had a sister before but, uh, she is absolutely fantastic, she really is.

It just feels as if we're able to sort of get on right from the go-get, really.

We're growing on each other, I think, aren't we?

[laughs] When you first saw me, did you instantly see the family resemblance?

Yeah.

We've all got the same crinkle right here, above our noses when we smile.

-It's really funny.

-Yeah.

But thank God you've got the same sense of humor as us, otherwise you'd be, like, completely offended all the time.

Quite possibly, yeah.

[Suzie] Now that he's with us, it's just as if it was the most natural thing ever, and I think that there was an instant connection.

It's pretty cool.

Tomorrow, Andrew's going to meet another sibling, Paul.

As Paul lives on the other side of Canada, this is Andrew's first opportunity to meet his new brother.

Paul had been the eldest of the siblings until Andrew was found.

I'm quite nervous, actually, to see how, um, how this is gonna go meeting Paul, because we are so close in age.

Andrew's in Canada visiting his birth parents, who he was reunited with seven months ago.

Today, Andrew will be introduced to the brother he's most nervous about meeting.

Until Andrew had been found, Paul had been the eldest of the siblings.

Paul's brought his wife, Angie.

I was 12 or 13 years old when my mum sat me down and explained that I had an older brother.

It took a while for that to sink in.

I obviously wondered what he looked like.

Is he taller than me?

Shorter than me?

Until I actually see the physical evidence that I have an older brother, still in the back of my mind, it's not really happening.

[doorbell rings] [general chatter] [door opening] [Paul] Andrew.

How are you?

-God!

-[laughs] You're very-- there's a definite similarity.

So, you got the height, and I got the looks then?

-Yeah.

-[laughter] We have very much got a similar sense of humor, and I think that that goes a long way to sort of, uh, being a bit of a bond there.

Now I know that it's real.

[Andrew] I've been pinching myself since this all started.

It's too bad we're living in two different countries as well.

I mean, it's quite a distance.

[Andrew] We are very similar.

Within seconds of meeting, we-- we just never stopped talking.

Well, I've worked at, uh, Royal Mail.

I left there in 2010, and I've been truck driving ever since.

We both drive truck, so what more could you ask for?

[Paul] I wish it had happened 30 years ago.

Means I'm not the older brother anymore.

But, uh, hey, I'm cool with that.

[child yelling] [Chris] We never thought, "Are we prepared to have him in our lives?

Is there room for him?"

No, there's always room for family.

[laughter] I'm too old.

[laughs] [Sue] I'm really content, you know, to see them all interacting and having a good time together.

[Andrew] A feeling of being part of the family is getting more and more on a daily basis, and it is quite emotional, really, to think that, uh, these-- these people are so welcoming, and it's blown me away, really.

How lucky am I?

[all talking] Our final story features a woman who'd had to give up her daughter not once but twice.

Would her daughter forgive her for the decisions she'd had to make?

[woman] Come on then.

When Christine Gillard approached us, it was nearly 50 years since she'd last seen her daughter.

Christine lives in Bexhill on Sea, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren.

[Christine] I feel privileged to see that that's my family, and to have four generations.

But there's one missing, and that's Marguerite.

Beautiful Marguerite.

My first baby.

Christine grew up in Glasgow and gave birth to her daughter Marguerite in 1960, when she was only 16.

She was absolutely stunning.

Beautiful baby.

But Christine had little family support.

She brought her baby to live with her 80-year-old grandmother in a one-room tenement flat.

We all slept in the same bed.

My gran always slept at the front, and I would be behind her, and Marguerite would be behind me.

Christine went to work full-time in a factory to support her daughter.

But as her grandmother became more frail and Marguerite grew into a toddler, Christine began to struggle.

[crying] My gran couldn't cope with Marguerite running about in a little room.

It was [crying] going wrong, and I couldn't put it right.

In desperation, Christine turned to Social Services to help her find a better life for Marguerite.

I had a big decision to make, because I didn't want her to go into one of these care homes.

That's total abandonment.

Without any hope for the future.

So, instead, the authorities placed Marguerite with a long-term foster family.

Christine was forced to give up her 2-year-old child.

Then, six years later, Social Services contacted Christine out of the blue to say that Marguerite's foster mother had died.

They were telling me that I could have my child back.

But Christine wasn't sure that this would be the best thing for her 8-year-old daughter.

My situation at that time wasn't good.

It wasn't a good marriage.

I've had less than I'd ever had in my life.

Christine asked to have Marguerite for a weekend to help her decide.

She was the same little girl.

She was my daughter.

Finally, Christine made the agonizing decision to give her daughter up for a second time, so that Marguerite could stay with her foster father, where she was happy.

[crying] Sometimes you've just got to do things for love, whether it's decisions that hurt-- and that was real hurt.

[crying] I never saw her again.

[Nicky] After an extensive search, we found Marguerite, who now goes by the name of Margo, living in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

She's married, with a daughter.

-[Nicky] How are you feeling?

-Nervous.

I tried to search for her, for years.

-Did you?

-Yeah, I did.

Do you remember that weekend when your foster father took you over to see Christine?

I remember my father saying I was gonna visit my mother.

She was offered the chance, because she was your mother, to have you back.

But then she had this enormous decision, because she thought you were coming from a happy place, a happy family, and you were gonna be better off-- you were gonna be happier there.

[crying] She loved you, but that was a better life for you.

Must have broke her heart.

[crying] That took a good woman to do that.

That took a-- somebody who had a heart of gold to do that.

After your foster mother had passed away, what happened after that?

When I was about 10, my father died then.

Just two years after your mother had died?

Mm-hmm.

What happened to you?

We were just all orphaned, like, you know.

I was put into a home.

[crying] That was scary.

I had nobody.

I absolutely had nobody in the world.

Um... She never knew that you'd gone through the care system.

And if she'd known that you were all alone-- when she finds that out... Oh, poor woman.

[Nicky] Yeah.

I've got a photograph of her.

Oh.

[crying] It's my mother.

[crying] All them years, I haven't been able to say Mum, but now I can say, "Truly, you are my mother."

Thank you.

[Davina] Finally, I could tell Christine that we'd found her daughter, but I also had to break the difficult news that Marguerite's life hadn't turned out as she'd hoped.

What would it mean to you, to find her?

Ah!

[laughs] And I just want to just, to know that she's always had me.

She's always had me.

That you can tell her yourself.

'Cause we've found her.

[crying] -You've found her?

-Yeah.

Oh, I'm so happy.

And what kind of a life did she have?

Well, it's a little bit sad, I'm afraid.

[Christine] Oh.

Because two years after her mum died, her dad died.

So, when she was 10, her dad died too.

So, who brought her up?

Well, all of them were left as orphans, and when she was 13, she went into care.

[crying] -She went off and got.. -[crying] -Oh, I'm sorry.

-[sobbing] But when she was 15, she got a job, and she took herself away, and she got herself a flat.

And she says now that it was her wonderful foster family that gave her fantastic roots.

Yeah.

That meant that she knew right from wrong.

Yeah.

And she didn't go down the wrong path.

-Uh-huh.

-I've got a photo.

You've got a photo?

-Shall I show you?.

-Go on then.

[laughs] Here's your daughter.

[gasps] Oh.

[laughs] She's lost her curls.

Oh.

She's still got her browny eyes, her dark eyes.

I can see her as a little girl.

[Davina] Hmm.

We arranged for Christine and Margo to meet in Glasgow, just three miles from where they last saw each other.

[sentimental music playing] [crying] Oh!

Ah, hello, Mum.

Its been a long time.

[crying] Welcome home.

Okay.

I don't want to let you go.

[both laugh] -[Christine] I'm your mum.

-I know y'are.

[Christine] I'm your mum.

[crying] [Margo] Oh.

You've found me now, Mum.

Since reuniting a year ago, after 50 years apart, Margo and Christine are making up for lost time.

And Christine's on her fourth visit to see Margo in Ireland.

I see you gave me the rubbish knife.

[laughs] -Here.

Take that one.

-[laughs] I feel as though she's been in my life all my life.

Oh, and it's been a year.

Is it... Watch your fingers.

Everything we do together, I just love it.

Going shopping, going for coffee.

My life with my mother's just so natural.

I'm glad you showed me how you make your soup.

Everybody's their own ways it, don't they?

Yes.

[Margo] I phone my mother every night.

Phoned her every night since I met her.

Uh, it's become a-- a way of life now.

I'll have to phone you, Mammy.

It's natural.

[Christine] I couldn't go without her now.

I couldn't imagine not having my phone call every night.

My dog even knows the phone's ringing at 9 o'clock.

Everything, give me...

But while Christine and Margo are treasuring the time they've now got together, it's not been easy to come to terms with everything that happened in the past.

Oh, it's lovely.

Twelve months after they were reunited, Christine Gillard is visiting her daughter Margo at her home in Northern Ireland.

But although Christine and Margo are overjoyed to be together again, thinking about what happened when they were apart has been difficult.

[Margo] Ah.

That's nice, Mum.

The church is beautiful there.

The reunion opened a can of worms.

It brought back good memories and bad memories.

Sad memories and hurtful memories.

The memories of going into care after both her foster parents died are the most painful of all.

[Margo, crying] For the first time in my life, my life spiraled out of control.

I didn't belong.

I didn't know who I was.

I didn't have an identity.

[Christine] We've still got a lot of that to talk about.

She's still got to tell me things that I'm not prepared to hear at the moment.

We know that, and we know that's-- that's gonna take time.

You had never had to feel guilty.

-[Christine] No.

-You did the right thing.

You did it for the right reasons.

It was the hardest decision I know as a woman that you can make.

[Christine] Constantly, I'm being told not to feel guilty, but you can't help it, you know.

It was me that-- me that did it.

It's still raw.

Isn't it?

As well as dealing with what happened, mum and daughter are also looking forward, and Christine's getting to know Margo's family.

[Christine] I didn't think past Margo.

And then I found out that I had a granddaughter.

And then I found out I had another two great-grandchildren.

Christine's been spending time with her granddaughter Connie and great-grandchildren Kyle and Emma.

To have Christine, or Nanna, as I would call her, in my life, it's just wonderful.

And Kyle and Emma adore my Nanna.

They just took to her immediately.

[Christine] Du-du-du.

Let's run all the way round.

No not run, we'd better not run.

Today, it's Christine's birthday and the first she's celebrated with her daughter for 53 years.

Mum.

That's just a wee album that I put up for you.

Just with memories for you, when you go home.

[Christine] Connie took that picture, didn't she?

[laughs] [Margo] The love I feel for my mother is, um, is different from the love I have for my daughter or my husband.

It blows me away.

The depth of that love that I'm feeling.

[crying] "Mum, the most sincere feelings are the hardest to be expressed by words.

[crying] So I will keep it simple.

I treasure, love, and adore you, and you're mine.

Wishing you-- wishing the best mum in the world a wonderful birthday."

I belong.

I have a life.

I have a mother.

I've found myself.

And for that, I'll be eternally grateful.

I love you.

I love you too, dear.. [Margo crying] I missed my baby for many years.

And the fact that I didn't know where to start to find her, the years went on and on.

[all singing] Happy birthday, dear Grandma Happy birthday to you [Christine] Fortunately, we've found her.

Forever.

[laughs] Next time, on Long Lost Family: What Happened Next... we catch up with three people whose lives have been changed in ways they could never have expected.

And so you've got a massive new family in Barbados that I never knew anything about.

[man] It was very, very scary.

We still don't know to this day what she had.

We're very lucky.

My son probably served me with a drink, and I didn't know it was him.

[peaceful music playing]