[woman] This one is the lady that gave birth to daddy.

I wanna find her 'cause I wanna make sure she's okay.

[man 2] I would really like to see my daughter.

This is my last chance.

[man 3] It is hard, and you think about it every day.

I'll never ever give up looking for me mother.

[Davina] There are many reasons why people across Britain are searching for missing family.

It's a feeling that's deep inside that you're on your own.

Keeping secrets and keeping people locked away... nothing good ever comes of that.

[Davina] Some need to know their identity.

You look at yourself and you think, "Where am I from?

Who do I look like?"

Others have difficult questions.

Why hasn't he tried to find me?

Where was he?

Did she not want me?

And why did she not want me?

So imagine the moment when the answer you need is just around the corner.

I'm not that far away so I should be with you shortly.

It gets a bit real, doesn't it?

[Nicky] In this series, we uncover unexpected truths... Two daughters?!

What?

Another daughter?

...find people that no one else could trace... We have found your mum.

Blimey!

I didn't expect that.

...and reunite families after a lifetime apart.

-They found my mother.

-[woman] You're joking!

Mwah!

Oh, God, child.

[Davina] This week, a professional footballer longs to find his birth mother... You've played for the country and she could have been watching.

She might have been a football fan herself, who knows?

...and a daughter is determined to share future milestones with her birth mother.

On my wedding day, she was the only one missing.

Yeah.

Our first search is on behalf of a former Premiership footballer who, having been through a huge health scare, was spurred on to look for his birth mother.

The only thing I ever wanted to be was a footballer.

I was very lucky.

I even played for my country.

I've had a great life, but I never thought I'd end up with a brain tumor.

I was fighting for my life this time last year.

I got to a place where I was just thinking about meeting my birth mother.

When you're close to your life being over, it just becomes more important.

I'm not sure if I had this conversation... before my illness, I'm not sure.

I'm not sure.

Um...

But it's made me think completely differently about life.

You ready?

Ahhh!

[chuckles] Forty-six-year-old former Liverpool and Leeds defender Dominic Matteo was born and spent his early years in Scotland.

-Ahhh!

-He'll blame his eyesight, Luca.

He's now settled in Halifax with his wife Jess and son Luca.

[Dominic] It's all about family for me.

I've got three kids, two girls who live in Manchester, and then my little boy Luca, who's 7.

I can't get it past you!

Dominic has only recently told his children that he was adopted.

Ahh, good save!

I've kept it quiet because it's very, very personal to me.

So we've only been talking to the kids a little bit about... my adoption.

They know we're looking into my birth mother.

Shall we do our family tree then?

So we've got, daddy is there... -Yeah.

-And daddy has how many children?

-[Luca] Three.

-[Jess] Three children.

And then going upwards from daddy.

This one is the lady that gave birth to daddy.

Why do you want to find her?

I wanna find her 'cause I want to make sure she's okay.

-[Luca] Oh... -Make sure she's all right.

And Nana and Papa, when daddy was very little... -Yeah?

-...they adopted him.

Nana and Papa came up, and they were old enough to have a baby, so they took daddy.

That's right.

That's exactly it.

Well done, Luca.

That's amazing.

It was when Dominic himself was 7 that his parents, Albert and Marie, explained that he and his older brother were adopted.

I was like, "Really?

What?"

It was a very slow process for me to take it in and I was kind of like maybe a little bit in denial, a little bit.

And as a lad I just got on with my life, played my football, got on with stuff.

It was an amazing childhood.

So I've never asked questions about anything.

Knowing that one day Dominic may want to search for his birth mother, his parents have kept all the adoption documents for him.

-[Dominic] What's this?

-This is the letter that was written for your mum and dad.

Dominic's brain tumor has made it difficult for him to read.

"I am writing to confirm that there is a baby boy who may be suitable for placement in your family.

His name is Stephen..." and then it goes on to say, "Stephen's mother is a single girl, aged 18, who is Scottish and a Catholic.

She's the eldest of five girls and her parents knew of her pregnancy and were sympathetic."

-That's good to know.

-Yeah.

I think when you get things like this out, straightaway I get a bit goosebumply.

It's quite difficult to take in.

I think you've always found having this packed away somewhere as a little bit of a comfort.

Yeah, that is right, that.

I always... We always kind of knew where it was, but we never kind of got it out.

It was kind of just there, you know.

It was there when he felt ready for it and we've got it out and then we've put it away.

Maybe I was always waiting for that right time to do it.

-Yeah.

-And maybe, you know, we think that... well, we know now it is the right time to look.

Mm-hmm.

Though he's now in remission, Dominic has had a stark reminder that life is short.

[Dominic] Maybe it was my illness in the end that pushed me to find my birth mother.

Is she okay?

Does she think about me?

Is she still alive?

I don't know.

And I need to know.

That's the truth.

Dominic's adoption file gave us quite a few clues about his birth mother, including her name, Margaret, the fact that she had younger siblings and that she was Scottish.

So we started our search in Scotland.

There was a Glasgow address on Dominic's adoption paperwork, and using the electoral roll, we discovered that his maternal grandfather had remained living there until his death.

When we applied for his death certificate, we found that one of his daughters had registered his death and this led us to Dominic's birth mother, who was still living in Scotland.

Margaret lives with her fiancé but has never had any other children.

I've arranged to meet her at a hotel just outside Glasgow.

When Dominic was born, his birth mother would have handed him over, never expecting to see him again.

So how does she feel now that all that is about to change?

And could she ever have imagined that her son would become an international footballer?

-Hi.

-Hi.

Thank you very much for meeting me.

Nice to meet you too, Nicky.

Wow, this is incredible.

How do you feel about it all?

Well, something that's been so deeply buried, so, um, yes, it's a great thing.

And it's also daunting.

You know, after all this time, 46 years.

So, um, yeah, it's... -I'm quite emotional about it.

-I'll bet.

I had thought about trying to trace him, but I was worried about how he would feel.

I've never stopped thinking about him.

You know, he's part of me, who I am.

But it was the '70s and there was always that stigma.

But I tried to do the right thing and make the right decision as best as I could 'cause I was at school, you know.

-How old were you?

-17.

Then he was born when I was 18.

I didn't have a job, you know.

I was too young and the decision I made was right at the time.

But I've always felt guilty.

-Why?

-Because I actually, um, had the sense to realize that this was my responsibility, not anyone else's.

-Were your parents supportive?

-Yes.

Yes, they were.

Hugely, yeah.

Were you able to spend any time with him?

Yes.

I only seen him the once because some people had advised me I shouldn't see him at all, but I actually did go and see him in the nursery.

And I'm glad that I did.

I just said goodbye and hope that he has a happy life.

But I cried and cried for weeks.

He's always been in my thoughts.

I need to tell you that he was poorly last year, he had a rare brain tumor.

Oh, no!

Oh!

That does pain me to hear that.

But he's really recovered incredibly well, and he's really thought about what matters in life and how much he wants to meet you.

Oh, my goodness!

-Yeah.

-That's important.

-That's important to me.

-Yeah.

I've always wanted that, you know.

But I've missed a lot, I've missed it all.

-And is he married?

-Yeah, he is.

He's married to Jess and he's got two girls and a boy.

Oh, my goodness!

Um, his name's Dominic now.

Oh!

He was a top class footballer in the English Premiership.

-My goodness!

-He played for Liverpool... -Mm-hmm.

-...and Leeds United.

Not for Scotland?

Yeah, played six times for Scotland.

-What's his second name, Nicky?

-Matteo.

My goodness!

Oh!

[laughing] My goodness!

Dominic Matteo?

That's crazy.

I can't believe that I've actually seen him on TV.

Oh!

But do you know, when I said goodbye to him and put his wee finger in my hand, I thought, "You're gonna do well."

But this is doing very well.

But it's not about that.

It doesn't matter to me what career he had as long as he's happy.

But I'd be proud of him no matter what.

I've seen... just running around the football field, but I can't totally picture him.

-Have you got a picture?

-Mm.

Oooh!

Yes.

I can see a resemblance.

First picture I've ever had of him.

First picture.

My goodness.

I'm overwhelmed, you know.

I'm absolutely overwhelmed.

My goodness.

"Pure dead brilliant!"

as they say in Glasgow.

Yeah.

For most people, their wedding day is one of the happiest days of their lives.

But for our next searcher, her dream day had someone hugely significant missing.

[woman] It was a big, traditional white wedding.

"I, Lisa... take you, Paul... to be my husband."

[woman] All day my heart was aching because my birth mother wasn't there.

'Cause it's quite a milestone, isn't it?

On such a happy occasion, it's such a shame that she wasn't there.

You are a good girl.

Yes, you are.

Fifty-year-old Lisa Phillips lives with her husband Paul and their daughter Bethany.

Do you want some more?

We are a really, really close family.

Family to me is just absolutely everything.

Lisa grew up in Derbyshire with her parents Sonia and Gerald Clark and her older sister Sarah.

[Lisa] My childhood was amazing, just full of really happy memories.

We were loved.

You're always told that you're loved every single day.

Sarah was quite a girlie girl, and I was such a tomboy.

We were completely different, but it never bothered me.

But when Lisa was 7 years old, her parents told her that unlike her sister, she was adopted.

[Lisa] And I can remember we were all sat in the kitchen and my dad just said, "You are part of this family.

Your birth mother unfortunately wasn't able to, to look after you."

My mum was always, "I know there's gonna be a day that maybe you'd want to find out more about your birth history," but... you try and mention it with my dad, and he will get upset.

Despite worrying about how her father would react, as an adult Lisa accessed her adoption file to find out more about the woman who gave birth to her.

[Lisa] I discovered my birth mother was Susan Audrey Gale.

She was an assembly worker.

Her hair coloring, dark brown.

I was thinking, "I'm dark hair, oh, I've got something in common."

It was wonderful, absolutely.

I loved reading it.

It says my name, to begin with, was Lisa Jane, and this is what I love about mum and dad.

'Cause out of respect for my birth mother, they kept "Lisa."

And I just wanted to know, why did she give me up for adoption?

What were the circumstances?

All it said was "best for child."

It is the best thing that she could have done, the best thing.

And that is important that my birth mother knows that.

But I'd just love to know her feelings afterwards.

You know, what's happened in her life?

[Davina] When Lisa told her father Gerald that she'd started to search, he found it difficult to accept.

[Lisa] I tried to just sit and have the conversation with dad, and it was just heart-breaking.

You know, he just didn't want me to do anything.

He says, "Lisa, please tell me you're content.

I don't want to lose you."

And I thought, am I opening Pandora's box?

-Hello.

-Hello.

Fortunately, Lisa's been able to turn to her adoptive mum Sonia for advice.

[Lisa] Why do you think it's so difficult for dad?

I just don't know, Lisa.

He may have thought that he would lose you.

But he... well, we wouldn't let that happen.

-No.

Absolutely.

-No way.

You've every right to find, haven't you?

Everybody would want to know, wouldn't they?

-Yeah.

-I knew deep down in my heart, I would never lose you.

You know, you're my mum, dad's my dad.

-Yes.

-And I have a birth mother.

-Yeah.

-That... never ever does that change.

You were our baby.

That's how it was.

And that's, that's how it's always been.

-Yeah.

-Still a baby.

[laughs] I know.

Bless you.

[Sonia chuckles] Although she doesn't want to upset her father, who is now suffering from dementia, Lisa feels she cannot delay her search anymore.

I probably haven't got dad very much longer now.

And I'd love my birth mother to meet mum and dad.

Love it.

That'd mean the world.

I'm 50.

She's 69.

I can't leave it any longer.

I need that connection.

I want that connection.

I need her sat opposite me.

I need... "I'll hold your hand, I am not letting go of you."

[Nicky] When we took on this search, all we had was Lisa's birth mother's maiden name, Susan Gale, and the fact that she was living in South London when Lisa was born.

Our first step was to see if Susan had married, and this is where our search became tricky.

Susan married more than once so had changed her name a few times, making her difficult to track down.

But we could see that she'd gone on to have a son and another daughter, who we were able to trace, and they put us in touch with her.

Susan now lives on the south coast with Peter, her husband of 21 years.

And she has agreed to meet me in a café close to her home.

Despite Lisa's really happy childhood, her birth mother has never been far from her thoughts, especially during key life events.

But what does Lisa mean to her birth mother?

How much has she thought about her?

Or has she been kept a secret?

-Hi, Susan.

-Hi, Nicky.

So nice to meet you.

I'm sorry we can't shake hands.

-I know.

-Oh, I've got so much to talk about.

Tell me your reaction when you found out that Lisa was looking for you?

It was the best news I could ever hear.

Really.

After 50 years, never forgot her, never forgot her.

Loved her every day and she was never shoved in the background, everybody knew about her.

Everybody.

-So you told people about her?

-Oh, yeah.

When they used to say to me how many children you've got, I say three.

But I had one adopted.

-Tell me what happened?

-I was 19, and I was going out with her father at the time.

Found myself getting pregnant, and as soon as I told him, he vanished off the face of the Earth, never see him again.

We had a house.

My brother and my sister and me were sharing one bedroom, and my mum and dad had the other bedroom.

There was no inside toilet, no bathroom.

My mum said, "Well, what you gonna do?

Look where we're living."

I said, "I know, Mum, I have thought about that."

And that's when I said to her, "I think the best option will be to have her adopted."

-That came from you?

-Yeah, that come from me.

There was no room for a cot, let alone a baby.

No, I couldn't do it to her.

She deserved more.

It wasn't her fault.

So when you think about Lisa's birth, what do you remember?

Well, it was funny because when I gave birth to her, she was two weeks early.

-Was she?

-And the adoption agency didn't realize I'd already given birth, so I had her for 10 days.

Those 10 precious days, that's all I had.

And then on the 10th day, all hell broke loose and I just lost it then.

You know, I broke down, got home, and went into my bedroom and stayed there.

A big cloud came over me and I kept thinking, "Have I done the right thing?

Have I done the right thing?"

So when I had my other daughter, Lisa... -Lisa?

-Yeah.

There was no other name for me but Lisa.

So we never forgot her.

The adoption lady said to me, "Is there any request you'd like me to ask the parents who are gonna adopt her?"

And I said, "Yes, can they please keep her first name?"

Which was Lisa.

And they must have done 'cause her name's still Lisa.

That's very respectful of them, isn't it?

It is.

I wanted her to have a mum and dad that was gonna love her and bring her up and hopefully have a good childhood and a happy life.

And I hope I've achieved that.

You have.

That's all I wanted.

She had a really happy life and her adoptive parents were wonderful.

Oh, I'm so glad.

I can't thank these people enough.

I'm her biological mum, but they are her parents.

She always had a really close relationship with her dad, Gerald.

And one of the things that held Lisa back from searching for you is the fact that she didn't want to hurt her father.

But always in her heart was this burning need to find you.

-Bless her.

-I need to tell you that Gerald's not well.

-Oh, dear.

-He's unfortunately got dementia.

Oh, dear.

Her mum, Sonia, is fully behind Lisa in the search for you.

So Lisa feels that she's able to do it now.

-Is she married?

-Yes.

She's married to Paul, and they met at 15, got engaged at 18, and married at 22.

But she says that there was one thing missing about the day, and that was you, that you weren't there, and she just wanted you to be proud of her and to be a part of that day.

Oh, my God!

She was thinking of me even on her wedding day.

Oh, my God!

You haven't got a picture of her, have you?

-I have.

-Oh, my God!

Oh, my God, she's beautiful.

She's got my eyes.

Oh... She's wonderful.

Oh, dear.

I did right by her then, Nick, didn't I?

You did.

I just want her to know I've always loved her.

Never stopped loving her.

I love her more than my life.

And let's hope the future is gonna look bright for us both.

I've got so much to tell her.

[phone dialing] -[man] Hello?

-Dominic?

-Yes.

-It's Davina.

Hi, Davina.

[Davina] Ever since ex-Premiership footballer Dominic Matteo suffered a cancerous brain tumor, he's been desperate to find his birth mother.

[Davina] I'm not that far away so I should be with you shortly.

-[Dominic] Thanks so much.

-Okay.

-Bye.

-Bye-bye.

[Davina] And now at last I have some news for him.

-Ooh, gosh!

-[exhales sharply] [Jess] Oh, my God, the wait's unbearable.

Dominic's health scare was a wakeup call and it made him realize how important it was to find his birth mother.

So I can't wait to tell him that she's been found and she wants to meet him.

-Hi, Dominic.

-How are you?

Come in.

I'm good!

Thanks.

Thanks so much.

Come in.

No worries.

-Thanks for talking to me.

-Absolute pleasure.

It's been quite a rollercoaster of a year for you, hasn't it?

[laughing] Yeah, you can say that, yeah.

Yeah, it's been... tough, I suppose is the word.

It has, for me and the family.

But, yeah, we're doing okay now.

When I got ill, I think this was the biggest catalyst for me to go and find her.

I think it was, it really was, pushed me.

I was always wanting to know my birth mother was okay.

I feel for her because it must have been hard to carry that round, and I'm, you know, trying now to make that right from my side.

Mm.

Well, Dominic, she is all right.

We have found your birth mother.

No way!

No way!

Gosh.

Sorry.

-Please don't apologize.

-It's just, er...

I think 46 years is a proper long time not to know.

That's incredible news.

Where is she?

Do we know?

-She's in Scotland.

-Scotland?

-In Glasgow.

-Oh, my God!

I had a place there myself in Glasgow for quite a few years when I played for Scotland.

Maybe the team... Maybe she'd seen me or seen... She had heard of you.

She knows that she has definitely watched you playing football on television.

That is bonkers.

Yeah, that's... that's blown my mind a little bit, actually.

I'm so happy that she knows that I did play for my country and stuff.

That means the world to me, that.

Would you like to know her situation?

-Like how it all happened?

-Yeah, please.

So when it came to what was going to happen with her pregnancy and everything, she took it very, very seriously, and she just knew that it was her decision.

-Yeah.

-But she knew that it was the best for you.

She made the right decision.

Yeah, she really did.

She just couldn't give you the life that she felt you deserved, but letting go of you, it was the hardest thing she's ever done.

Oh, gosh.

It's incredible.

So to hear you have gone on... to be this success, she's just so proud of you.

That's incredible; to know that, just means the world to me 'cause I just...

I genuinely, all I ever wanted to know is if she was okay.

-Is she all right, like?

-She is all right.

She never married and she never had any other children.

Right, okay.

But she's got a lovely, lovely fiancé.

-Ah, has she?

That's good.

-Called John.

-Ah, lovely.

-And they're getting married next year.

Wow!

Wow!

And so this is amazing for her.

-Makes me feel warm, that.

-Good.

I've not had that for a long time, that warm feeling, it's nice, yeah.

What would it mean to you to see a photo?

Oh, gosh!

This could be emotional.

[chuckles] This is your mother.

Aww... Wow.

She looks very happy.

She does, doesn't she?

Beautiful.

I'm trying to think if I can see a bit of myself there.

-Probably can a bit, yeah.

-I think so.

Yeah, I think so, yeah.

I'm so happy.

I really am.

That's... That means the world, that, that really does.

That one picture, that really does.

Just draws you in, doesn't it?

When you've not known somebody, and all of a sudden it's your birth mother.

She has written you a letter, but would you like me to read it to you?

I would love you to read that, Davina, thank you.

"Dear Stephen, when I received the letter that you wanted to find me, I was very happy because I wanted to find you, but I was very apprehensive about how you would feel.

Knowing that you have been out in the world somewhere has been very difficult for me, especially on your birthday.

I'd like you to know that you have always been in my thoughts.

When I said goodbye to you, I did this out of love because I knew that I was unable to cope at a young age and I wanted you to have the best life.

This was the most difficult decision of my life."

Oh... "I'm looking forward to meeting you and having a chat.

This will mean a lot to me."

Aww... That's amazing, thank you.

Oh, gosh.

Whew!

[sniffles] Yeah, that was... that was beautiful, that was beautiful.

I'm just happy.

I'm just happy, and I'm happy that she's all right.

-Okay?

-[Jess] Yeah.

-Oh, my God!

-Hmm.

-She looks happy, doesn't she?

-Yeah.

-I can't believe... -God, she's so pretty.

I know.

She is pretty.

It's all good.

All good.

-I can't believe it.

-I know, babes.

It's all good.

Today, Dominic is meeting his birth mother.

[Dominic] It's 46 years since I've last seen her.

It's becoming real.

You know, she gave birth to me... and that gives me goosebumps to talk about that.

Um... yeah.

You ready?

[Dominic] I just wanna see her and make sure she's all right.

I'm excited.

[Davina] Margaret has travelled from Glasgow to be reunited with her son.

[Margaret] It's a big day.

I was tossing and turning last night, couldn't sleep.

I was like, "Oh, my goodness," you know.

I feel as if I'm in a... a crazy dream, you know, that this is, this is... is this happening, you know, that I'm actually going to see him after all this time?

It's just wonderful.

I can't wait.

I hope that he likes me.

[Davina] How you feeling?

A bit nervous, a little bit, but it's a big... [Davina] It's a big day.

[Dominic] Not just about me, this.

This is about Margaret as well.

She's had to carry that round for such a long period of her life and now we can just hopefully move forward.

Mother and son have both been Covid tested and are meeting at a hotel close to Dominic's home.

-Okay?

-Yeah, good.

Love you.

Thank you for all your support, babes.

I mean that.

Thank you.

-Bye, babes.

-She's gonna love you.

Hello.

How are you?

You okay?

-Yeah.

-Nice to see you.

-Nice to see you.

-You okay?

-You look well.

-So do you.

-You look lovely.

Thank you so much.

-[laughing] -My goodness, 46 years.

-Forty-six, I know.

I always knew what age you were, and you were born on my dad's birthday.

-No way.

-Yeah.

-Wow!

-You're really handsome.

[laughs] I always knew you would do well.

I willed you to do well, that's what I wanted.

-You've been through a lot, though.

-Yeah, but... -In the last year.

-But the thing is I'll bounce back, I always do.

I've been given another chance, that's how I see it, in life, you know, I really do.

-And... -Yeah.

I'm gonna grab it with both hands.

Believe me, you being here today means the world to me, honestly.

Don't worry.

I mean that.

I mean that.

-I am... -I was worried about you.

I'll get through this, don't you worry.

She's got a lovely way about her.

So friendly and so loving.

It just felt right.

It just felt like a dream come true for me.

The connection was there after all this time.

-I'm super proud of you.

-Aw, thank you.

When someone says to you they're proud of you, it's massive, isn't it?

I don't take things like that very lightly at all.

It means the world.

[Margaret] He is amazingly positive and... he's got a lot of character, a lot of strength.

I wanted to give you this.

It's just...

When we played for Scotland.

I'd love you to have that.

-Oh, my goodness.

-So we played Australia.

"International Challenge match, Scotland versus Australia."

This means a lot.

Oh, that's amazing.

Thank you very much.

[Dominic] It means something to me, that.

I didn't get many caps, but got a few, and... she can say that was her son that played for Scotland.

That for me means a lot.

[Margaret] It blew me away actually.

I have a son who I'm extremely proud of.

-Hello.

-Hello.

My goodness.

You look just like your photograph.

-It's lovely to see you.

-It's a shame we've got to socially distance.

-Lovely to meet you.

-And you.

-[Dominic] Sit down, babes.

-Oh, gosh.

Oh, my God, you're so pretty.

I wish, I wish.

No need to cry.

-They're happy tears, don't worry.

-Happy tears, I know.

I just know how much this means to you both and... Oh, no, it does.

You just both look so happy.

It's so lovely, it's great.

[Dominic] I feel like I wanna smile today.

I've had some tough times over the last year or so, so it's nice to be in this position now and be happy and we can be happy together.

[laughing] Lisa Phillips put off searching for her birth mother for decades, but she can't wait any longer.

[Lisa] This is what I should have been doing a long, long time ago.

It's too important for me to let go now.

I'm on my way to Burton Upon Trent to see her.

Lisa spent all those years wishing she could share her life with her birth mother as well as her adoptive parents.

So I can't wait to tell her that she's gonna have that chance.

-Hi, Lisa.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-I'm good, thank you.

-Pleased to meet you.

-And you.

Take a seat.

-Thank you.

-[exhales sharply] Yeah, first I wanted to ask you, when did you start thinking about your birth mother?

I mean, it was probably when I was about 10 or 11.

It was awkward really with, with my dad because if I ever maybe broached the subject of that, it would really upset him.

-Yeah.

-Whereas with mum, she knew the day would come that maybe it just has to be done for me.

So having thought about her for such a long time ... Every day.

...have you thought about the questions that you want answered?

"What is she like?

What do you look like, Susan?"

That does mean a lot to me.

And my question is, is she okay?

Was she okay?

Has her life been okay?

You'll be able to get all of those questions answered, 'cause we've found your mum.

Oh, dear!

Right, okay.

I wasn't a secret or anything?

You've never been a secret.

-Everyone in her life knows about you.

-No way!

Oh, my gosh!

Oh... Is she okay?

She's really good.

-And she wants to meet?

-Yes.

Oh, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear.

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

That is... that is just amazing.

I've waited a long... a long, long time.

Has she got any children or...?

Has she really?

Oh... -She's got two.

-Wow, okay.

-And she named them... -Yeah... -Tony... -Yeah... ...and Lisa.

No way!

Really?

Och... Was that 'cause of me?

Oh, no!

God, that was lovely.

But what happened was, when she got pregnant her family were basically living in two rooms.

-That was it, there were five of them.

-Right.

It wasn't somewhere to bring a little baby.

So she thought, "I think it is best for baby to have a better life with another family."

-Yeah.

-The beginning of your life, you were two weeks early.

-Oh?

-And she didn't tell the adoption agency, and for 10 days she was alone with you in the hospital and she cherishes those memories so much, but she knew that she wouldn't get to leave with you.

And when she had to leave the hospital and go home and you weren't there, she just locked herself away.

-Oh... -And just grieved.

-Oh!

-Grieved you.

You know, I'm so grateful for her and for what she obviously, you know, the sacrifice, unfortunate that she, she had to do 'cause it must have been heart-wrenching.

Earlier on you said, "I want to know what she looks like."

-And... -No.

-Have you got... -Do you want to see it?

I... yes, please.

This is your birth mother.

Oh, my God!

Oh, my little sweet... Mmm!

Oh, my God!

Oh, God!

[Davina] What do you think?

I think that's what I've wanted for 50 years.

That is amazing.

Yeah.

I've also got a photo of your brother and sister.

Oh, wow!

They're so lovely.

I feel absolutely elated.

And that, that face just says, "Come and give me a cuddle."

I cannot wait to just give her a massive squeeze and thank her from the bottom of my heart.

My life is complete now.

She's made me complete.

Today, Lisa has travelled to London where she was born to be reunited with her birth mother.

I just wanna scream at the top of my lungs and say, "I'm here!"

And I never ever want her to be upset because today starts now.

It's not what ifs, it's what now.

There's no regrets.

I cannot wait.

Mother and daughter are meeting at a pub near the hospital where they were last together.

[Sue] I never thought this day would come.

It's just a miracle it's happened.

I would like to tell Lisa how much I love her, how much she's been loved for 50 years.

She's always been on my mind.

I just wanna hug her and tell her I love her.

Sue and Lisa have both been Covid tested so they can meet safely.

[Lisa] I cannot wait to get in and see her and just say, "This is your Lise, I'm here."

Hello.

-Oh, my God!

-My darling.

Look at you.

Oh, you're so beautiful.

-Oh, my God!

-Oh, my God!

-God!

-This is amazing!

-Oh, come, let's sit down.

-Oh, my gosh!

Honestly, oh, my word.

-Oh.

-I know.

I know.

-Do you believe it, really?

-No.

No.

I never thought this day would happen.

I had you for 10 days.

For those 10 days I hardly slept because I just kept looking at you, and I'm thinking, "You're mine.

Today you're mine, tomorrow you're mine, tomorrow..." And then when the day came... it was then that it got to me, I broke down.

And, and...

I hope that you don't think I ever abandoned you because that wasn't the case.

No.

I've never thought that at all.

I've always loved you, and it was just something I had to do.

You know, I wanted you to have a fantastic life, and I'm so glad you've had that life.

I've had an absolutely amazing life.

You did what you thought was right for me, and it was the best thing that you ever could do.

-Thank you.

Thank you.

-Yeah.

Soon as I saw her, it was like you've never been away.

This beautiful face, that's all I saw in that room was that face and that love that she said that she's given me for 50 years.

[Sue] She's such a wonderful, wonderful person, and I'm so proud, I'm so proud.

-You was my first love... -Oh, golly.

...and you always will be my first love.

I love it.

That means an absolute... Yeah, it's amazing.

-Ooh, I know.

[gasps] -Give us a cuddle.

-My God!

Do you believe it?

-We'll be off again.

Oh, my God!

Fifty years I've waited for this moment.

And when I hugged her, all those years disappeared.

It was just fantastic.

Just to hold her so close.

[laughing] -Hello!

-Hello!

Oh, my God!

Oh, I can't believe it.

-Lisa... that's Lisa.

-We can't hug.

-I know.

Tony.

That's Lisa.

-I am absolutely... -[Tony] Same here.

-I can't believe it.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

-[Lisa P.] Can't put it into words.

It's as literally, you know, absolutely coming here... -"I can't put it into words, but..." -[Lisa P.] But I'll do it.

It was overwhelming to see them chatting and getting on with each other as if they'd known each other all their lives, you know?

She's amazing.

Her family is amazing.

I'm so lucky.

-This is unbelievable, isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

[Sue] Just feel whole now, because I've got... my children all back together again.

[Lisa] I've never felt such joy in my life.

I've found her.

She's found me.

It's mind blowing.

[Sue] It's the happiest day of our lives, I think.

[Lisa] Oh, yeah.

Yeah, definitely.

[peaceful music playing]