They found her!

That is where you're gonna meet your brother.

-We've found her.

-Oh!

Your brother's in there.

Over the last nine years, we've helped more than 200 people find long-lost relatives.

Oh!

But meeting is just the beginning.

-Hi!

-Hello.

-Thank you for not hating me.

-No.

How easy is it to build a relationship after a lifetime apart?

[man] When someone comes into a family, it can turn the family upside down.

-Hola, papa.

-[woman] We've all got love in our hearts to give each other, but it's hard to forge a relationship when they are so far away.

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

This week...

Thank you very much for finding him for me.

...a man whose story was too sensitive to share until now.

It wasn't what I meant for you.

-...beautiful.

Come here.

-Aww!

And a former England rugby player whose lifelong dream finally becomes reality.

[man] There were occasions when I was playing for England, I just thought, "I wonder if they're watching."

Come on, Spencer!

But is bringing a stranger into your family ever straightforward?

You can't just suddenly get a new mother, it doesn't work like that.

[dramatic music playing] Often on Long Lost Family, we are approached by mothers asking us to find the children they gave up for adoption.

But as our first searcher discovered, coming back into the life of a child that's been raised by different parents can be a big challenge.

Brenda Rhensius was living in Cape Town, South Africa, when she approached us eight years ago.

She was looking for her daughter Joanne, who she gave up for adoption at just six weeks old.

[Brenda] I've spent many, many years crying at these photographs.

All these I keep in, um, what I call a "precious box."

[laughs] Brenda grew up in the north of England in the 1950s.

She was just 19 when she fell pregnant.

[Brenda] My mother, she ranted and raved, I was a disgrace.

What I didn't expect was the way my father looked at me like he was so disappointed.

Brenda's parents sent her to Lorna Lodge, a mother and baby home in Manchester.

It was in this building, now being converted into flats, that she gave birth to her daughter Joanne.

I've never, ever felt like that about anything or anyone and didn't ever want to put her down.

Oh, she was gorgeous.

She was.

Brenda cared for her baby for six weeks before it was time for Joanne to be adopted.

[Brenda] I dressed her in a pretty dress.

It took me about an hour to dress her.

And this woman came in who took her and said, "You can go now."

And that was it.

If you do ever find her, tell her how much I loved her.

Brenda went on to turn her life around, eventually becoming a mother again and retiring to South Africa.

But she never recovered from the loss of Joanne.

[Brenda] It's entirely possible that she's thinking, "Well, she didn't want to know me, she gave me away."

I just need to put that straight.

[Nicky] Working with a specialist intermediary legally allowed to access adoption records, we were able to find Joanne's new surname.

Astonishingly, we eventually found her living 6,000 miles away from where she was born, in South Africa!

The same country as Brenda.

Joanne had left the UK 18 years ago... -Hello, you.

-[dog barks] ...and was living with her husband in Durban.

-He's very obedient.

-Nicky.

-Hi, Joanne.

-Really nice to meet you.

-Yeah, what a beautiful day.

-It's gorgeous, isn't it?

[Nicky] How much of a surprise was all this?

Well, I didn't think for a minute that she'd want to look for me.

It was something I would have expected maybe when I was younger.

-She's looked for you for a long time.

-Has she?

-It broke her heart.

-I didn't know that.

I just thought that I'd been born and pushed under the carpet.

[Nicky] There's your birth mum.

Oh, wow!

Okay.

Oh, my goodness.

Lives in Cape Town.

You are kidding me?!

You are joking!

-Do you wanna meet her?

-I definitely want to meet her.

The following day I travelled from Durban to Cape Town to give Brenda the news she'd been waiting nearly 50 years to hear.

Brenda, Joanne has been traced.

Really?

Let me show you a photograph.

Oh, for goodness' sake!

She's so beautiful.

-Where's she living?

-Durban.

Durban, South Africa?

No!

Does she want to meet me?

-Yeah.

-Oh, does she?

I don't believe you.

She does?!

[Davina] Two days later, mother and daughter were reunited in a park on the outskirts of Cape Town.

I think I can see her.

Oh!

You're beautiful!

[laughing] -Can I give you a hug?

-Yes, please.

-Please.

-Hello.

Because I loved you so much, I had to let you go.

I've never, ever, ever felt, um, "Why did she do that?"

-Never once.

-Oh, really?

-I've never, ever thought that.

-I presumed you did.

But for you, it must have been awful.

-You had me for six weeks.

-Horrible.

-I've got some pictures.

-Have you?

Oh, please, oh, I hoped so.

-Here you go.

-[gasps] -[Joanne] Is that me?!

-Yeah.

-[Joanne] You're kidding me!

-[Brenda laughs] [Davina] It's been over seven years since Brenda and Joanne first met.

They're no longer living on the same continent, but they haven't let the distance come between them.

[Brenda] I'm just so blessed now to have her back in my life.

It's a miracle.

It really, really is.

Brenda has moved back to the UK and is now living on the Channel Island of Jersey close to her son Jason.

I spoke to Joanne when I was thinking about moving back.

'Cause my concern was that I'm leaving her again and she said, "Oh, no, I'd love to visit Jersey!"

So that was... that's typical Joanne.

I can't believe she's gonna be here, and every time the feeling's the same.

It's brilliant.

Mother and daughter visit each other once or twice a year.

It's left down here.

And today Joanne's arriving from South Africa.

[Joanne] Although Durban and Cape Town are in the same country, you know, it's a flight away.

I couldn't pop in on her on the way home from work.

It was nothing like that.

So her moving back to the UK was kind of the same.

Hello!

The strength of their relationship has come as a surprise to Joanne.

I wasn't prepared for the bond 'cause I thought 48 years, you know, you don't, you can't just suddenly get a new mother, it doesn't work like that.

-Want tea or coffee?

-Coffee, please.

So I was convinced, you know, she's adorable, she's wonderful, but I'll never be able to call her mum.

I can't believe I'm here.

And of course Joanne already had a mum.

[Joanne] I was very, very aware of hurting my adoptive mother's feelings.

I was her whole life, the whole world.

I did battle for quite a little while over that, even though Brenda would never in a million years have tried to take that role off my adoptive mother, she just wouldn't.

[Brenda] She looks great on there.

Joanne's solution was to introduce her two mothers.

I love that one with the two mums, that is such a special photograph.

In 2012 she brought her adoptive mother, Ursula, here to Jersey for a holiday.

[Joanne] I felt like I wanted to put my arms round them and just pull them together and say, "It's okay, it's all right, don't be upset.

I had a wonderful adoption," to Brenda, to say to my mum, "I've got this gorgeous, gorgeous mother, but she'll never replace you.

I've got two mothers."

I needed to say that.

This is a particularly nice one.

-[Joanne] Everybody together.

-I love that photograph.

That was the time when we really, really bonded as a family.

And she went, "Oh, I've always wanted to meet you!

I want to thank you," and I went, "What?

You want to thank me?

I need to thank you."

And we had this moment of loving each other like you wouldn't believe.

It's so, so precious.

I'm sorry.

She was an amazing lady.

Sadly, in 2014, Ursula passed away.

As she was dying, I needed to tell her, "You're my mum, I haven't replaced you."

I really hope to God that Brenda did not pick up on it, but I did actually withdraw a little bit from the relationship because it's not a question, "Oh, one mum's died, let's move on to the other mother."

I know 100% that my adoptive mum would have been saying to me, "Go now, um... you've got this new life.

Um, I'm not here, move on now."

She would have really wanted me to do that, and she would have been very happy for me to do that.

But I just couldn't for a little while.

-This is a nice beach.

-Stunning beach.

-And especially... -Especially over there.

The sun's just coming out now, look.

[Brenda] It was a very sensitive time.

I just felt so sorry for her to have lost this precious, precious person.

I did not want to jump in and say, "But now you've got me."

And I'm not a replacement.

I'm a different person, and I'm a different mother.

[Joanne] My mum, Brenda, never, ever tried to push the relationship.

She never tried to take over as my mother, not at all.

And then gently, gently, gently, we became a real strong little family.

But it did take me a very long time to use the word "mum."

It was like "Mm-mm-mm... Brenda," you know.

"Hi, Mm-Brenda."

Um, and eventually it came naturally.

As she's developed a deeper connection with Brenda... Hello, what would you like?

...Joanne has also embraced getting to know her half-brother Jason who runs a local coffee shop.

-It's one tea and one flat white.

-Okay.

When Joanne visits, he ropes in his new sister to help out.

There you go.

Pleasure.

[Joanne] I was initially worried.

Suddenly there's this new person in this life who's going to have to share his mum.

-No dilly-dallying.

-Oh, okay.

[Joanne] But from the first moment we met, we just immediately really liked each other.

Joanne, exactly where did you learn waitressing?

I'm getting better.

I've not spilt anything on anyone yet.

She's my sister.

Yeah, that's what I tell people.

-You know, I talk about my sister.

-Thank you.

[Jason] We've both got a very dry sense of humor, but that works.

We fit well.

She's an amazing person.

Absolutely amazing, compassionate person.

Yeah, I love her to bits.

So who would have thought a few years ago that I was gonna have a sister that was gonna tease me and help me with my dress code?

I feel like we've grown up together, that's how close we are.

And I remember that feeling of, "They really want me, they really love me."

And that was just amazing.

It's so nice having you two guys together.

Never, ever, ever imagined that this would really happen.

When we first met, I must have appeared quite hard faced, saying, "Oh, she'll be just a friend, she'll never be my mum."

I am so grateful that we found each other.

I love her so much.

I really, really, really do.

And Jason, of course.

So, yeah, there's a lot of love, yeah.

[Brenda] Really, it makes me cry.

Because I suddenly think, "Oh, the years and years and years that I've wanted this, oh, and now it's there."

[gulls calling] [Davina] When siblings are separated as babies, they can experience very different upbringings, which can make building relationships in adulthood even more challenging, as in our next story.

[players shouting] Former England rugby player Spencer Brown came to us in 2017 looking for his sister and his birth mother.

[Spencer] I was playing professional rugby representing my country.

To someone outside looking in, you'd just think, you know, he's living the dream.

[player] Spence!

-But inside I was a complete mess.

-Come on, boys!

Spencer was adopted as a baby and grew up in Northamptonshire.

[Spencer] It was a typical middle-class, white, English family.

Growing up I had everything I needed.

I was cared for, I was loved, but I knew I was different 'cause I was a different color.

As a young man, Spencer joined the Marines and went on to play professional rugby, even representing his country.

[Spencer] The Marines, you get a sense of belonging.

Rugby, you get a sense of belonging, but it's no substitute for a true sense of belonging, which is to be connected to your family.

Spencer started searching when he was 18.

He knew his birth mother was Scottish and had an older daughter, Spencer's sister Margot, who he'd been separated from when he was given up as a baby.

[Spencer] I spent a lot of time and effort in trying to find them, but the trail ended.

It just went dead.

We took on Spencer's search last year and found his birth mother in Scotland.

She didn't want to appear on camera but agreed to meet privately, and it was then that Spencer received some unexpected news about his sister.

[Spencer] Well, I always assumed that Margot stayed with my mother.

So I said, "How's Margot?

What's she doing, where is she?"

And then she-- she broke down in tears.

Just said she was taken by the authorities.

When I got that news, I was in shock.

This revelation meant we had to take on a separate search to find Margot.

And it was then we discovered that her life had been very different to her brother's.

Fate was what it was.

We were just babies.

I went one way, he went the other and that was it.

We reunited rugby player Spencer Brown with his birth mother off camera last year.

But that wasn't the end of the search.

Determined to bring the whole family back together, Spencer was eager to find his sister Margot too.

[Spencer] I love my sister.

I need to find my sister to be back complete again like we were very briefly as babies.

[Nicky] When we took on Spencer's search, our specialist social workers discovered that Margot had been in care and was eventually adopted.

I went to see her in Cornwall.

Astonishingly, Margot had been told that her birth mother was dead.

So she was delighted to hear that wasn't the case.

Not only was her mother alive, but her little brother was searching for her.

-Can't wait to talk to you.

-Thank you.

[laughs] So, um, is this a big surprise?

More than a surprise.

Did you know you had a brother?

Yes, I did, yeah.

But there was lots of things that happened in my world that prevented me from being able to think about that because it could open more wounds that you've just spent years closing.

-You've had your ups and downs?

-Yeah, many.

When I was three, I was taken away from my mother, and then I'd had a difficult childhood, unhealthy marriage.

-So it's been a test.

-So when you heard that Spencer was looking for you, what was that like?

Overwhelming.

Made me feel wanted.

I've always wondered, where did he end up?

How was it for him?

He became a professional rugby player and he played for England.

That's fantastic.

Oh, God, he's a gifted guy, isn't he?

So Spencer comes along, and the news comes along that your birth mother is still alive.

Yeah.

It's just wonderful news.

Literally, she's come back from the dead.

That's the only way to put it because it wasn't just a thought that I had, I was told that.

And I think to myself, if it wasn't for Spencer, would I even know?

I feel full of, I think, genuine happiness and hope for the first time in my entire life.

[Nicky] Here's your brother.

Oh, wow!

Oh, bless.

Oh, he's incredible.

There is my brother.

Come here.

-Okay?

-Yeah.

It's all very happy, it's all happiness.

It's just, I didn't think I would ever get there.

Can't wait to just tell him I've always loved him, always, and that he makes me so proud.

Mm.

[Davina] After Spencer's 26-year search, I was finally able to give him good news about his sister.

[doorbell rings] -Hi, how you doing?

-Hi, Davina, nice to see you.

-[Spencer] Come in, come in.

-Margot's been found.

You've found... Oh!

[laughing] [sighs] -Does she want to see me?

-Yes, she does.

-Yes!

-I've got a picture.

This is Margot.

Wow!

Unbelievable.

I'm shaking.

I can't believe I've found my mother and my sister.

I can't wait to tell her that I love her and I always have.

One week later, Margot travelled to Warwickshire so she and Spencer could meet for the first time since they were babies.

[Margot] I can't wait to give him a hug.

There aren't enough thank-yous for giving me a chance to have family back.

[Spencer] I've been searching for 26 years and, to be honest, I didn't think this would ever happen.

Margot!

How are you?

[Margot crying] Found you.

[Margot] I really can't speak.

You all right?

Sure?

I knew instantly it was gonna be the beginning of a family that never was but now can be.

We start from now.

It's been a year since Spencer and Margot met, and in that time, he has been able to do something she never thought was possible, reunite her with their birth mother.

The first picture of the three of us together.

They're one of the most epic moments of my life.

I can just see the emotion in her eyes.

And she just put her hands up like that and she just says, "Oh, my baby!"

And I just gave her the biggest hug.

That was a great day.

It was huge for me and Margot.

I likened it to playing for England for the first time, the excitement, the nerves, and every other emotion you could possibly think of.

Spencer and Margot have also been keen to bring together the other loved ones in their lives.

Today, he's brought her to North Wales to spend time with his adoptive parents, Brian and Ruth.

-[gasps] Hello.

-[laughs] How are you?

It's lovely to see you.

-[Margot] Lovely to see you too.

-Hiya.

[Spencer] My parents are amazing people.

I do feel hugely lucky.

-Hello, you.

-It's nice to see you.

All right?

[Spencer] They gave me everything.

They loved me.

It was a very comfortable, very happy childhood.

Don't squeeze me, I can't breathe!

It's very beautiful up here.

[Margot] I was delighted to know that Spencer had had a loving family.

Spencer's parents, they are everything that you could possibly dream of.

They're decent, kind, caring human beings.

He was destined to be a rugby player 'cause he was a big strapping baby, and when I used to take him up the stairs, he was so big and heavy, I used to take him one step at a time to take him, take him up to bed, you couldn't carry him.

[Davina] But Margot's childhood was very different.

She spent time in foster care and when she was eventually adopted, it was not as successful.

My life was, um, completely the opposite.

There wasn't any empathy, any compassion.

That was lacking in my home.

[Spencer] I get a bit sad because I often think it would have been nice if we were adopted together.

What would she have been if she had had the same opportunities as me?

[Margot] Fate was what it was.

We were just babies.

I went one way, he went the other and that was it.

Spencer's family have embraced me and made me feel just as much at home as my brother.

So much so, I call them "Mama and Papa B," which they really love.

[Ruth] That little island sticking out there, that's Puffin Island.

[Margot] Outside of my sons, I have felt the most wanted in my entire life.

Never had anyone expressed such love, genuine love.

[Ruth] It's lovely over there where the sky is...

I'm loving every minute of it and I'm getting used to what it feels like to mean something to just people.

Yeah.

The next step for the newly united siblings is for Margot to introduce Spencer to her family.

Having grown up in very different circumstances, brother and sister, Spencer and Margot, are gradually learning about each other... [Margot] So this is my band.

That's a great pic.

...and embracing each other's families.

[Margot] It's as if I was the second daughter.

It's just awesome.

At the "Long Lost Family Christmas Reunion," Spencer met Margot's son, Josephus, for the first time.

-I've heard lots about you and your brother, actually.

-Yeah.

-Most of it's good.

-I hope so.

And today, both Margot and Josephus are entering Spencer's world.

They come to Dublin to see him play rugby in an England Legends match against Ireland.

I think he's somewhere around here.

[Margot] You get told your brother plays rugby, then you get told he plays for England, and then he's in Rugby Legends.

-The old boy!

-[laughing] Don't shake my hand, let's not shake hands, give me a cuddle.

[Margot] I'm delighted to see what he's done with his life.

[Spencer] There were occasions when I run out for England and think, "Oh, I wonder if they're watching.

I wonder if they know who I am and they're watching on TV."

Come on, Spence!

Come on, Spencer!

Oh, no!

[Margot] Spencer used to tell me that he hoped that I would notice him through the TV and I would recognize him.

And yet now here I am actually watching him, everything that he would have wanted.

-Yeah.

-It's just incredible!

-[cheering] -Come on!

[Margot and Josephus cheering, laughing] Spencer, run!

-Run!

-Run, son!

Run, son!

-Yes!

-Come on!

Whoooo!

Every moment the family shares is another step towards building a relationship for the future.

It's been an amazing experience.

I feel very, very blessed to know that I'm now part of a bigger family.

Come on, lads!

Hi there, Spencer, that was a lovely game, son.

I saw those tackles.

Got right stuck in, didn't you?

And words can't really describe at the moment how I'm feeling.

Loved it, brother.

Oh, that was spectacular.

With my son coming to see uncle play.

We're watching him together.

I couldn't ask for more.

-Very proud sister.

-Group hug.

[Spencer] It was lovely to have them there and to know that my sister's really proud.

It's really special.

I never thought it would happen, either.

-Isn't that how you do it?

-So you say.

-You lock in... -Oh!

-[laughing] -I'm not wearing the right shoes, it ain't fair.

[Spencer] I do feel lucky.

Hugely lucky.

Our next reunion was never shown on Long Lost Family because the situation was too sensitive for the cameras.

And it's only now, three years after the family first met, that they feel ready to share their extraordinary experience.

Eighty-year-old Hazel Stubbs Race came to us looking for her son, who she'd had to give up for adoption.

[Hazel] I've thought about him pretty much every day of my life.

He never wasn't there.

I'd like a cup of coffee, please.

-Would you like that to take away?

-Yes, please.

[Hazel] I only wanted to know that his life had worked out well.

Hazel grew up in Alton, Hampshire.

By the age of 22, she was working as a nurse.

And at the weekends she would travel to the local army camp for the dance.

[Hazel] It was a very exciting time.

I loved it.

We all loved it.

We'd go to the dances, all of us, and we'd be looking out for certain guys we would hope would be there again.

[dance music playing] For Hazel, it was a young naval officer who caught her eye.

[Hazel] You know, every so often you meet a man who is devastatingly charming.

I kind of couldn't really believe he'd be interested in me.

For months Hazel and her sailor danced together whenever they could.

But then Hazel discovered she was pregnant.

[Hazel] I thought he should be the first person to know.

But he didn't want to have anything to do with it.

He said he'd got several friends who would be quite willing to stand in a court of law and say they had all had sex with me.

I was condemned.

With no help from the father of her child, or her family, Hazel decided to leave town.

-A ticket to London Paddington, please.

-That will be £4 for the ticket.

[Hazel] I went and gave my notice in to the hospital where I was working.

And Matron said, "Now why, Nurse?"

And I had to tell her.

She said, "There are a couple of the surgeons who will make this all right for you, and that will end your problem."

She was offering me an abortion.

I can't do abortion.

Not then.

And not ever.

In London, Hazel found a lady who organized private adoptions.

She took Hazel in, giving her a place to stay until her baby was due.

This is the first time Hazel's been back to that house.

I truly don't know what would have happened to us if I hadn't had the good fortune to find this home.

This place.

I was thankful for her support and shelter.

Such a big heart.

On the 19th February, 1961, Hazel gave birth to a baby boy she named Kenneth, knowing he'd be safe here until he was adopted.

Just wanted him to be wanted.

To be wanted.

To be welcomed.

All that I couldn't give him.

I did say, "I've done the best I can for you now.

I've done the best I can."

In the years that followed, Hazel went on to marry and have two more children.

She now lives with her youngest daughter Angela, and together they've spent the last 30 years trying to trace Kenneth.

[Angela] We did Facebook searches, Salvation Army, and then we even went through an adoption register.

-Yes.

-"Although there are over 63,000 entries on our register, we have not found a link at this stage.

Please do not be too disappointed."

-Which we were.

-Yeah, we were.

We were really disappointed.

He is my son and I had to find him.

All I wanted to know was that he'd had a good life and that he'd had all that I couldn't give him.

But Hazel was to discover that Kenneth's life had been nothing like she'd hoped.

[Nicky] When Hazel Stubbs Race came to us looking for her son Kenneth, she feared she'd exhausted every avenue.

But we enlisted the help of a specialist intermediary allowed to access Kenneth's adoption records.

Finally, in 2015, we traced him to Blackpool, but Kenneth was going through a difficult time back then and it was decided it wouldn't be right to film him.

Now, three years later, Kenneth has agreed to meet me to tell me what his life was like at that time... and how he felt about his mother coming to find him.

-Hi.

-Hi there.

-Ken.

-How are you?

Very well.

Good to see you.

Yeah, nice to meet you.

-Hey.

-Okay, it's nice to see you.

Fantastic to see you.

Oh, yes, yes.

So, Ken, when you were found, the psychiatrist told us that it wouldn't be right and you weren't ready to be filmed.

-No, I was not.

-You weren't in a good enough place?

-No.

-But here you are now.

Yeah, that's the difference.

-What a difference.

-Yes.

What was your life like before you were found?

It wasn't very good.

I was going through a breakdown.

I was on heavy medication at the time.

I'd been told I was schizophrenic.

-Where were you living?

-I was sleeping rough.

I squatted in an empty pub.

-You were essentially homeless.

-Yes.

Was out of work.

I lost my teeth.

If I would have carried on, I don't know what I'd be doing now.

Probably be dead now, drinking and whatever, like.

It was like being in a deep hole and I couldn't get, get out of it.

-That sounds really horrible.

-Yes.

Can I ask you about your adoption?

What was your adoptive family like?

I was very close to my mother.

She was very caring.

And my dad, he was always a heavy drinker and he used to get nasty now and again.

-Did he?

That must have been hard.

-Yeah.

Yes, it was hard.

I was...

I was only a kid at the time.

Then I started drinking myself.

-Oh, did you?

-Yeah, at a young age.

A liter of vodka a day.

Eventually I just literally went to pieces.

I would start hearing voices, and then shortly after my mother passed away, I got so lonely I slashed my wrists.

I would say that was my roughest time.

I had no one to talk to.

-Desperate times.

-Yes, desperate times.

When you heard that your birth mother was looking for you, what was that like?

I just collapsed and cried at the time.

It just hit me.

I was scared.

-I was really scared.

-What were you afraid of?

In my situation, I was just all over the place.

-Were you worried that they wouldn't want to meet you?

-Yes.

Yeah.

As it turned out, it went the other way.

[gulls calling] [Davina] Hazel was delighted to know her son had been found.

But one of our trained social workers also had to explain the difficult news that he'd been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

The family met for the first time in private.

Today, Hazel and Angela are taking me back to the place where their lives changed forever.

Three years ago, when you were driving to meet him, how were you feeling?

We had no idea what... how he would be, really.

It was the culmination of a wish of a lifetime.

And to see and hope it had been all right for him.

Just as on that first occasion, Kenneth is waiting to meet us.

All right?

All right, Mum?

-Nice to see you.

-Hello, darling.

Hello, darling.

And this is Davina.

-Nice to meet you.

-Hi, Davina, nice to meet you.

Aww!

Is it nice being back here?

-[Ken] Yes.

-It's surreal, actually.

It's a bit odd.

What was it like when you first saw Ken and he walked through the door?

I recognized him.

Immediately.

It couldn't be anyone else.

[laughs] Couldn't be anyone else, could you?

Back home at last.

-Very emotional.

-[Davina] Was it?

[Ken] Yes, it was.

Thank you very much for finding them for me.

It's...

It meant so much to me.

-[Davina] Aww, we can see.

-Sorry.

-[Davina] No, my goodness.

-Don't be sorry.

[Hazel] I don't think you'd ever experienced anything like the feeling of family.

In my situation, I wasn't very happy.

I was out of a job, I was smoking, I was drinking, no future.

[Angela] I've got to show you one thing.

When you just look at older photos of him compared to today, the original photos that-- the day we met, are just... it doesn't even look like the same man.

Doesn't he look different there?

-That's a different bloke.

-About ten years older.

[Angela] That's a whole other bloke, isn't it?

[Ken] I was scared at first, I must admit, I was scared.

[Davina] If they would be friendly?

Yeah.

Especially with my illness.

The diagnosis of schizophrenia.

That's why you said, "I don't think they're gonna wanna know me, I'm schizophrenic."

-Did that worry you?

-[Hazel] No.

No, it didn't worry me.

I worked in mental health, and you can manage all kinds of illnesses, mental and physical, if you've got the proper diagnosis.

We all cottoned on fairly early on that he wasn't schizophrenic.

Mum said it, and we had already thought it anyway, and even your doctor was doubting it.

And literally in the last two weeks, he's been correctly diagnosed as autistic with possible ADHD.

-That's amazing.

-And it's nice to have the right diagnosis because then you can get the help you need.

-Then you can do something with that.

-Yeah.

Then with all the other things.

We knew there were changes that needed doing, gently.

-[Davina] Like?

-Well, for a start, I've got a job now.

I don't smoke.

I don't drink.

Every area of his life.

There's not an area that hasn't been touched or changed.

That's ama-- I'm so proud of you!

[Ken] Oh, come here.

It's just... it's just amazing, innit?

But it must have been really hard to have heard that he did have quite a tough time.

-It wasn't what I meant for you.

-Come here, you.

[Hazel] He survived.

And he's back with us now where he belongs, but I can't... no one can do a single thing about the past.

-[Ken] No.

-[Hazel] We can only deal with now.

He's got what he should have had.

I feel very lucky.

I can't ask for much more.

I can't.

I've got everything I need.

-[laughing] -You're a natural.

[Hazel] That's it, carry on in.

[Davina] It's now been over three years since the family were reunited and their relationship has gone from strength to strength.

Kenneth has left Blackpool and moved to Basingstoke.

He now lives with Angela, her wife Debbie and his birth mother Hazel.

I think we've helped him get on to an even keel, and for me, it feels right.

It feels... complete.

Kenneth's also become close to his other sister, Madeleine.

Oh, this is the... do you remember this?

-[Hazel] Yes!

-This was the first day you came down.

-[Ken] Yes.

-And we all wore our "years of birth" T-shirt.

Did you ever think that you'd see the three of us in the one room together?

No, I didn't.

Fetch it.

They've rescued me just in time.

Good girl.

[Ken] So I'm very happy.

They love me, and I love them.

What's your favorite plant, Mum?

Oh, I've got so many.

I don't think we could be apart now.

I have more than a lot of people will ever have.

[peaceful music playing]