[Davina] For thousands of people across Britain, someone is missing from their lives.

Does he still love me?

He's my dad-- Why did he not come back?

I need some answers about where I've come from, and I've wanted that every single day of my life.

[woman] I've got a big sister.

Where is she, and why didn't I know about her?

Finding someone when the trail's gone cold can feel like an impossible task.

But that's where we step in... -We've found him.

-[gasps] Wonderful.

It's all we ever wanted.

[crying] ...offering a last chance to people desperate for help...

They've found him.

Aah!

My God!

[crying] [Nicky] From DNA technology to painstaking detective work-- we've travelled the world, uncovering family secrets and tracing people that no one else could find.

John.

Nicky.

I've got the test results here, the DNA test.

[man] Oh my god.

[Davina] ...and finally answering questions that have haunted entire lives.

I'm your big sister!

You are!

This week... two stories of mothers and sons pulled apart-- A man whose mum put him up for adoption through an advert in the local paper... [man] Do I question my mother's love?

Not at all.

If I had one chance, it would be to say, "Thank you."

...and a woman who adopted two kids after giving up her own son.

The love that I couldn't give him, I wanted to give to someone else.

How am I going to explain that to him?

[dramatic music ends] [seagulls calling] [Davina] Our first search comes from Blackpool, and a man whose only connection to his birth mother are letters, written more than 50 years ago.

[fantastical music playing] [man] "To Whom it May Concern, I, Frances Unsworth, have given my baby to Mr. and Mrs. Belshaw.

I will not take, or try to take, him away from them or see him."

These two letters are the only things that I have.

I have no photograph.

I have nothing else.

[chatter of crowd] [man] Alright, go on.

Aw!

[Davina] 54-year-old environmental consultant Steve Belshaw lives in Blackpool, close to where he grew up with his adoptive parents.

There was my mum and dad, my elder brother, Phil, and it was a very loving family.

Every memory I have is a good memory.

I think I was about 8 when my parents first told me I was adopted.

I didn't quite understand.

The whole idea of adoption, it-- you know-- it didn't seem to-- to make any sense.

To help him understand, Steve's parents gave him an envelope of letters.

It was only then that Steve discovered that he'd been adopted through an advert in the local paper.

This letter was written by my birth mother.

"Thank you for your reply to my advert.

I have considered all my replies and have thought yours was very nice.

My baby is not born yet but is due at any time.

I cannot explain my circumstances in a letter, but shall do when I call to see you.

Yours sincerely, Miss Frances Unsworth."

When Frances visited the Belshaws, she told them what had driven her to take the extraordinary step of advertising her baby in a newspaper.

[Steve] The story I was told was that she was 17, and she worked in a sweet factory, making Blackpool rock.

She was very much in love with my father.

And she became pregnant.

Frances told the Belshaws that, while she was pregnant, tragedy had struck.

Steve's father had been killed in a motorbike accident.

[Steve] I cannot for one moment comprehend what that must have been like... to have lost her boyfriend, to have lost the father of her child.

I can only see her world falling apart.

Bereaved and alone, Frances made the decision to give her unborn baby up.

Her advert allowed her to choose Steve's new parents herself.

[Steve] It is extremely unusual to advertise your unborn child, but I think it's an extraordinarily loving thing to do.

And knowing that she'd gone to all that trouble to find the most suitable parents she possibly could find, to me speaks volumes about her character.

[chatter of crowd] Great stuff, thank you so much.

Steve's adoptive dad, Bill, has never forgotten the day Frances came to meet them.

I remember her coming to the house, and she was heavily pregnant at the time.

[Steve] Yeah.

She wanted to know just where you were going.

She was very strong-willed... like... [laughs] [laughs] Like me!

I must get it from somewhere, mustn't I?

[both laugh] [Steve] Can you remember what she looked like?

She wasn't very tall.

Blonde?

Dark hair?

Dark... no.

-Mousey, you know, mousey color.

-Right, yeah.

When she left, she seemed such a lonely soul.

She did the best in the circumstances.

Sure... sure.

[Steve] Did you ever see her again?

-No.

-No?

No... no.

Although he's never had any contact from Frances, Steve has never doubted his birth mother's motives for giving him up.

Do I question her love for me?

No, not at all.

Her love, her desire to do what was right against what, to me, is almost insurmountable odds-- it means absolutely everything to me.

I have to hold onto that, because it's given me a lot of strength over the years.

If I had one chance, just one chance, it would be to say, "Thank you."

We started our search in Blackpool, the city where Frances gave Steve up for adoption.

Frances was young when she gave birth to Steve, just 18.

She may have gone on to marry.

[Nicky] So, we searched the records and did find a marriage for Frances-- to Robert Hall, in 1965.

Using her married name, we searched again... and discovered that Frances had died in 2004.

[dramatic musical sting] Finding out his mother has passed away will be devastating for Steve.

It's the news we dread discovering whenever we take on a search.

Our last hope was to find another relative who could give Steve the connection to his mother that he's longed for.

[Nicky] France's death certificate contained a key piece of information.

The informant was a Robert Hall, Frances' son and Steve's half-brother.

[soft tense music] So, we searched for him.

And that is when we discovered something extraordinary.

We found Robert living not only in Blackpool, but just one mile away from Steve.

[train announcer, indistinct] [Nicky] Robert lives with his partner, Kelly, and they have six children.

[Nicky] I wonder how Robert's feeling.

It's been 13 years since his mother died, and, suddenly, a half-brother appears.

Did he know about Steve?

And with their mother gone, would he want to welcome a new brother into his life?

[dog barking] -Robert.

-Hi!

-Nicky.

-Pleased to meet you.

You too, you too.

[Nicky] Thanks very much.

How do you feel about this?

Excited.

Did you know you had a brother?

Well, I kind of knew.

When I was probably about 9, 10, my mum had mentioned that she'd had a baby and had him adopted.

I kind of just put it to the back of my mind and thought nothing of it.

But I was only a kid.

Your mum put an advert in the newspaper, saying, "I have a baby I am putting up for adoption.

I'm looking for loving parents who'll look after him."

Yeah, that's mad that I did not know any of that.

[exhales] Here we go.

[laughs] [crying] [Nicky] It's alright, it's an amazing story, isn't it?

[Robert] Yeah.

Yeah, I can imagine her going through all that... wow.

[Nicky] I know.

-That is heartbreaking, that.

-Yeah?

It really is.

Just to think she did all that-- what she went through.

What was your mum like?

Very caring, very strong-willed.

She had a great sense of humor.

She was just great.

She was a proper, real nice person.

Um...

I miss her.

I miss her a lot, you know.

I mean, all the time.

-Steve-- -Yeah, Steve, wow.

He feels such a connection to your mum, to his mum-- -Yeah.

-Because of... the lengths she went to, to make sure everything was going to be alright for him.

Aw... Ah, wow...

I just can't wait to meet him and chat with him.

-Where was he born, Blackpool?

-Yeah.

He doesn't live 'round here, does he?

-Yeah, he lives a mile away.

-You're joking.

-No.

-Oh my god.

[laughs] You're having a laugh, aren't you?

I probably could've sat next to him on a bus or anything!

[Nicky] I know.

There's your brother.

[Robert] Oh my god.

[laughs] Aww... Oh my god, my big brother!

I wish Mum was still here.

She'd love all this now.

I can't wait.

I can't wait.

[Davina] We'll let Steve know the sad news about his mum away from the cameras.

But before we tell him he has a brother... Our second search comes from Swansea and a woman desperate for her son to understand the choices she had to make.

[pensive music playing] [woman] How do you explain to someone that I've given them up for adoption, and then I adopted two other children afterwards?

That's my biggest worry.

What if he doesn't understand why he couldn't have that love, but they could?

[chatter] Thank you, dear.

55-year-old charity volunteer Corine Aspland lives in Swansea, close to where she grew up in a large family of eight children.

[laughs] [Corine] I was the youngest.

My dad worked really hard, seven days a week.

My mum worked all the time.

So, we were left to our own devices, really, you know.

When Corine was 15 and still at school, she started to feel unwell.

Her parents sent her to the doctor.

[Corine] The doctor examined me, and I could see the look on his face, and I thought, "Oh... something wrong here..." And he said, "You're about five and a half- six months pregnant."

And I went, "Pardon?

What?"

And I thought, "Oh my god," you know, "How am I going to tell my parents?"

Returning here to the family home, Corine broke the news to her father.

He said, "Well, you're not keeping it."

He was just totally angry.

My dad didn't speak to me for six or seven months afterwards.

I felt as if I'd let him down.

I felt as if I'd let all my family down.

[tearful] Corine gave birth to a baby boy in March 1978.

She named him Mark.

[Corine] They put him in a little crib, and I could see his little face through the glass, and he was absolutely beautiful.

Perfect in every way.

[tearful] It was a feeling of total love.

And I thought, "Why can't I keep him?"

[crying] My dad came in.

I said, "Please look at him."

I'd just hoped that, if he had looked at him, he might have changed his mind.

But he just wouldn't look.

Twenty-four hours after he was born, Corine's son was taken from the hospital and put up for adoption.

That grief that you feel when you lose that child stays with you forever.

Corine Aspland was just 15 when she had to give her son Mark up for adoption.

I actually held him there, and I was just stroking his face, and I just said, you know, "I'm sorry.

I'm not gonna be there."

Although the pain of losing Mark never left her, Corine tried to rebuild her life.

She met and married Chris.

But despite years of trying, was never able to give birth again.

It was just unexplained infertility.

The only thing I can put it down to is psychological.

Having a child taken away from you, the grief, it's inside you, and it just eats away, and it eats away.

And my body just shut down.

So, in 1998, Corine and Chris made the decision to adopt 4-year-old Jason and his 18-month-old sister, Courtney.

[chatting] [Corine] Jason and Courtney are my world.

I love them unconditionally.

The love that I couldn't give Mark, I wanted to give to someone else.

Corine has always worried how Mark would feel about her decision to adopt.

[Corine] It would be hard for him, knowing that he couldn't have my love, but they could.

[all chatting, laughing] How am I going to explain that?

I think it would kill me if he resented me for it.

Despite her fears, Corine has spent years searching for Mark, supported by Courtney and Jason.

She's an amazing person.

She's just the best.

[Jason] She's taken two kids on that weren't her own.

Every mistake we've made, she's been there to pick up the pieces.

She's our world.

[Corine] I've gone through life knowing that he's out there somewhere.

That's something that never, ever left me.

If I could just see him, for once-- [tearful] and tell him that I love him with all my heart... and that I'm just sorry that I couldn't keep him, and I'm sorry for not being there for him when he needed me.

If I had the chance to give him that love, I would.

I want to make things right.

[Nicky] When Mark was adopted, he was almost certainly given a new name.

Without that name, there was no way Corine would be able to find her son.

[Nicky] So, we worked with a specialist intermediary, legally allowed to access adoption records.

After a two-month wait, we finally got the information we needed.

Mark had been adopted by a couple in Swansea and was now called David Morgan.

So, we searched electoral rolls and found David living in Cardiff.

Corine has longed for her son ever since she gave him up for adoption.

But she's anxious about his reaction when he finds out she went on to adopt two children.

How will David take that news?

And is he ready to welcome his birth mother back into his life?

Now a father of three, David has lived in Cardiff ever since coming here as an undergraduate.

He has a PhD in chemistry and teaches at the university, where I'm meeting him.

-Hello.

-Hi.

Nicky.

How are you?

Good.

Come on in.

Take a seat.

What was your initial reaction when you found out that your birth mother was looking for you?

It was joy and excitement, and it's... it's a real big-- a real big thing.

Did you ever think to try and search for your birth mother?

It did cross my mind at times.

But I had a fantastic childhood.

I had great parents.

So, I felt guilty, and I felt a bit of, maybe, disrespect to them.

But I always wondered things.

And I've always wanted her to know that, no matter what happened, and for whatever reason things happened, I turned out good.

I've got lots to tell you.

Corine was 15, and from the moment she found out she was pregnant, her father made it clear that there was no way they were going to keep the baby.

I can't begin to imagine how she felt.

I just hate the thought of all that emotional pain and everything else that she would have had.

Did she manage to go on and have a good life?

Well, she married Chris, and she's been with Chris for 30 years.

Good.

But she wasn't able to have any more children.

Mm... That hurts.

That's a-- that's a big thing.

She went on to adopt two children.

Oh.

Yeah, I'm really-- I'm happy for her.

To know that she had the strength to give children the chance of a good life.

That's made me happy.

The fact that you're reacting positively to that is going to mean so much to her, because she was really worried-- No.

I mean, the one thing I would want her to know more than anything, is that there's no animosity, there's no ill feeling.

I want her to take comfort in that, and to know that.

[exhales sharply] [David] I can see similarities there.

That's my mum.

[laughs] I'm just so glad I can meet her.

[Davina] Steve Belshaw came to us searching for his birth mother, Frances.

But we discovered she passed away 13 years ago.

We've told Steve away from the cameras the sad news about his birth mother.

This has been incredibly difficult for Steve.

And while nothing could ever take the place of a mother, I'm just hoping that learning that he has a half-brother who is longing to welcome him into the family will be of some comfort.

[whimsical music playing] -Hi.

-Hi.

[laughs] -How are you doing?

-Come on in.

Thank you.

Thanks so much for seeing me.

I'm so sorry that we couldn't have brought you better news.

I did realize that her no longer being with us was a possibility, but it was... a shock.

It's so difficult.

But we did want to bring you something.

[Steve] Gosh.

[crying] That's wonderful.

[crying] I've waited so many years to see this.

[laughs] She's got such a lovely smile.

-[Davina] Hasn't she?

-Yes.

-Can you see a resemblance?

-[crying] Yeah.

[Davina] I can.

[laughs] Do you know where we got it?

I've no idea.

You have a half-brother called Rob.

[laughs] Wow!

-He's 49.

-Gosh!

-He's your little brother.

-[laughing] I've never had a little brother before!

[Steve gasps, laughs] -Is this my baby brother?

-Yes.

Hello, Robert.

Wow.

He lives a mile away.

-No.

-Yes.

My goodness.

[exhales sharply] Wow.

To have a little brother in my life, it's... wow.

I never saw this in my wildest dreams.

He is really thrilled to know about you.

And he would love to tell you about your mum.

Oh my goodness.

-Your mum... -Yes.

...told him about you when he was about 10.

So, your mum never forgot you.

I've carried that hope with me through my life.

To know that makes me so enormously happy.

Thank you so much.

Today, Steve will meet his brother Rob for the first time.

[Steve] I'm feeling both excited and... a little nervous, to be honest.

But I'm so looking forward to meeting Rob and the family.

[Davina] Okay, we'll be two minutes.

-Hey.

-Hi, Davina.

-How are you doing?

-I'm alright, thank you.

-[Davina] Let's go!

-Okay.

-See you.

-Good luck!

Thank you.

-Say bye to Daddy!

-Bye!

Bye-bye.

[pensive music playing] The brothers are going to meet at Stanley Park, where they both spent time as children.

[Nicky] Hey!

[laughs] How are you doing?

I'm alright, how are you doing?

-Alright, alright.

-You ready?

Yeah, yeah.

[Nicky] Why's this park important?

My mum used to bring us here all the time when we were younger.

During the summer, it'd be every Sunday, we'd come and have a picnic here.

-[Nicky] So, great memories.

-Yeah.

You must be thinking about your mum a lot right now.

Is there a sense in which this is for her?

If she'd still been alive today, she'd have loved it.

Definitely.

Well... Good luck!

Thank you.

[suspenseful music playing] [Davina] So, how are you feeling about today?

A little sadness.

I know that I'll never meet my birth mother.

[Davina] Yeah.

But, to have a little brother is wonderful!

I'm gaining a family.

That's fantastic.

[Davina] Thank you!

So, this is it.

It's where I say goodbye.

Your brother's in there.

[uplifting music playing] [both laugh] Oh my god.

-Hi, little brother.

-Oh.

How are you?

Oh.

[Steve] Ah, this is weird, isn't it?

[Rob] Just a little!

Ah, wow...

I'm alright, mate... Ah, wow.

So, how you feeling, alright?

-Alright.

-Yeah?

Good.

-Awesome, lad.

-Yeah?

Absolutely awesome.

I can't believe it.

To think we were about a mile or what apart!

That's mad, isn't it?

I must've passed you in the street.

[both laugh] Do you want to see these pictures that I've brought?

I'd love to.

That's my mum... that's our mum, I should say, in our back garden at home.

[laughs] Oh, wow.

[emotional music playing] She always said to me that your dad was the love of her life.

And when he died and that, it just destroyed her.

-Yeah.

-I mean, what she did back-- you know-- back then, was for the absolute best.

Yeah.

-For me and for her.

-Mm-hmm.

I'm glad you think that, I really am.

Without a shadow-- I've never thought-- never, ever-- thought any different, Rob.

[Rob] We've got so much to catch up on-- 50 years' worth!

I'm happy for myself, but I think I'm more happy for Steve.

Just seeing the look in his eye when he was looking at the pictures of my mum, and hearing some of the things I was saying to him...

It's like something he's probably wanted to hear all his life.

She was lovely.

Proper nice.

Yeah.

Meeting Rob has allowed me to feel a little closer to my birth mother.

He's got so many memories to share.

All of that will help to build a much clearer picture of the kind of person she was.

She would've loved this, yeah.

[Rob] It's not every day you get to meet your big brother.

I hope we can be friends, as well as brothers.

I think we will be.

-Yeah, it's brilliant.

-How's the family?

Well, you've got loads of nephews and nieces.

[laughs] Everyone wants to meet you.

[Steve] We share a very, very similar sense of humor-- very similar outlook on life.

It's very natural.

That's a great place to start from.

It's all amazing, isn't it!

[laughs] [Rob] I look forward to the future.

Getting used to Uncle Steve.

Getting used to having a little bro.

[both laugh] [Steve] I'm really looking forward to the relationship with Rob and the family.

-How are you?

-I'm great.

-Oh, what a pleasure.

-[Steve] Lovely to meet you.

-[woman] Here's Tallulah!

-[Steve] Tallulah!

That's my niece.

[Steve] Tallulah!

You alright?

Very much looking forward to seeing [laughs] the relationship develop.

Corine Aspland was just a teenager when she gave her son up for adoption.

Unable to have any more children, she then went on to adopt her kids, Jason and Courtney.

Corine's been torn between longing to find her son and fearing that he might reject her.

And I'm so pleased to be able to tell her that we've found him... and he can't wait to meet her.

[uplifting music playing] -Hi, Corine!

-Hi!

How are you?

-I'm good.

How are you?

-I'm fine, thank you.

[Davina] There you go.

-Thanks for the tea.

-No problem.

So, what are the feelings that you've carried around with you since you gave up Mark?

Guilt.

A lot of guilt, um, knowing that you've given up a child and not knowing where that child has gone to.

At the end of the day, I would sell my soul just to see him once, you know, in my lifetime, just to tell him how sorry I was.

Well, Corine... you're gonna get that chance.

-[tearful] Pardon?

-Your son's been found.

Oh!

[crying] Really?

You're being serious?

Oh my god!

Does he want to see me?

-He does.

-Oh!

[crying] Oh, I can't believe it.

And is he okay?

Has he got family and all?

He's really good.

He's had a good life.

Oh, fantastic!

That's all I wanted.

[crying] I'm so glad.

He's called David.

-David.

-Yes.

Oh!

And he's been with his partner for 18 years.

Oh, fab.

And they've got three kids.

Three!

Oh!

Oh my god.

I can't take any more.

[crying] And he's done so well.

I'm glad, I'm glad.

He's got a PhD.

-No way!

-Yes.

Oh, my word.

Oh!

To think he's come from me and he's got a PhD.

Oh.

[crying] And he's a research scientist at Cardiff University.

[laughs] Oh!

[crying] Oh, darling, it's okay.

Come here.

[sobs] Oh, god.

I thank God-- Thank the Lord.

[Corine] Oh!

He was really moved when he heard that you couldn't go on to have any biological children and thinks it's amazing that you've given two people a home just like he had.

He thinks it's fantastic.

That is a total relief.

I can't say how much this means to me because... to think he doesn't hold any grudges is amazing.

Does he look like me?

Do you want to see a picture?

Oh, please.

Oh, my... Oh my god, he's handsome.

Oh!

[crying] Oh my God.

He does look like me, in some ways.

[Davina] He does really look like you.

[Corine] Yeah, yeah.

Oh, he's stunning.

Absolutely stunning.

Today, less than two weeks after we told her he's been found, Corine and her son will be reunited after 39 years apart.

[uplifting music playing] -Hi, Davina!

-Hi, Corine, how are you?

How are you?

Alright?

[laughs] -You ready?

-I'm ready.

-Okay, let's go.

-I'm ready, let's go.

David has travelled from his home in Cardiff to Swansea, to meet his birth mother.

[Nicky] Hi!

So... [laughs] Are you ready?

-I'm ready.

-Let's go.

Thank you.

So, how have you been feeling since I last saw you?

I feel different, I feel a different-- a new person.

I feel a different person completely.

It's just like 39 years of sadness have lifted out of my body.

And what have Jason and Courtney made of it?

Because it could be quite tough for them, really, tracing your biological son.

I sat them down and explained to them that, you know, this is our family unit.

And they know I love them unconditionally.

So, I'm always there for them 100%.

[pensive music playing] [Corine] Thank you.

So, this is where I say goodbye.

[Corine] Thank you.

And David's gonna meet you in there.

[Nicky] What does today mean for you?

I'm glad it's come.

I'm getting something which, I realize now, I've always wanted.

[David] I just can't wait.

This is it.

-[Nicky] Good luck.

-Thank you.

[dramatic note swells] -[crying] David.

-Don't cry, Mum.

I'm so sorry.

[sobbing] [David] It's okay... it's okay.

Don't worry.

-[Corine sobs] -Don't fret.

-It's okay.

-[laughs] It's okay.

Sit down, it's okay.

[breathing shakily] It's okay.

[crying] Oh, David.

I'm so glad you've come to meet me today.

-How could I not, you know?

-[crying] I carried this for 39 years.

This day...

I never thought I'd see this day.

It's emotional for both of us.

I'm just glad this day has come.

I want you to know that I had a good adoption.

It's all I could have asked for.

My parents were wonderful.

They gave me everything they could.

Good, good.

I'm glad.

-And I've had a good life.

-And three children?

Yeah!

Yeah, I can't believe I've got them sometimes!

-[laughs] -I know you have kids.

-I had to adopt them.

-Yeah.

I think that is absolutely wonderful.

-Sorry.

[crying] -That's okay, it's okay.

-That was my biggest worry... -I know.

...you know, how can I explain, you know, that I adopted two, -and you were adopted.

-I know.

And I wouldn't have had any, sort of, malice over that, because it shows the strength of character inside you.

And you've managed to bring happiness to two children...

They had a good life, yeah.

...which is just such a fantastic thing.

[laughs] [Corine] He does feel like my son.

He is my boy, yeah.

To actually have him back and hugging him, it's been so natural.

I'm totally, totally proud of the man that you've become, and what you've achieved in your life.

[David] I'm feeling euphoric.

There was an instant connection.

[Corine laughs] The fact that she's proud just-- just makes me really happy.

I never stopped loving you.

I thought about it every day.

And I know that piece of my heart has always been out there somewhere.

We'll just take it one step at a time now, and if ever you need me, I'll be 110% behind you.

-That means a lot.

-We can go on from there.

And I'm just glad you're happy.

Thank you.

[Corine chuckles] [crying] At least those are tears of joy.

Yeah.

The sadness has gone, the sadness has gone.

These are happy tears.

[Corine] I can put all the ghosts of the past to rest.

I feel so elated, honestly.

I just feel like jumping in there!

[laughs] My hands in the air, splashing about!

[laughs] I just feel whole again, and that says it all.

[laughs] [upbeat music playing] Next time on Long Lost Family... a woman searching for a sister kept secret for 50 years...

I realized I was looking at photos of my big sister.

Why was she kept a secret?

...and a man desperate to find the father he's never met.

[man] He's my father.

I want him to say, "You're my child" and accept me.

[peaceful music playing]