A man from London was determined to find his sister, following the death of their mother
Michael was searching for his sister on Long Lost Family(Image: ITV)
A brother and sister have finally been reunited after they both applied to appear on the ITV show.
The latest episode of Long Lost Family, which aired on Thursday (September 10), followed Michael, 56, who was trying to find his older sister, whom he had never met. The retail worker from South East London was determined to fulfill his mother’s dying wish to track down his sister, who had been given up for adoption as a baby.
Mary had been in a Catholic mother and baby home when she took care of her daughter, Angela, for three months before she was placed for adoption. But Michael explained that his mother didn’t think she had a choice.
Their mother, Mary, died of cancer eight years ago at the age of 74, and she had asked Michael to find his sister, Angela, for her. “She said, could you please try and find Angela for me please?” Michael shared. Ever since then, he has been desperate to find her.
Two years ago, in an attempt to find his sister, Michael took a DNA test and got a match with a woman named Gemma. The DNA report suggested that she was his half-sister. He assumed that Gemma was Angela’s new adoptive name and messaged her, however, he never received a reply.
“It’s made me happy, but in another way, it’s made me sad because obviously she’s been looking. It makes me think, why is she not on here, she’s given up. I’m so close now,” he said.
Michael went on: “I’m so close. And it’s like just a brick wall is just there. But I want to knock this brick wall down, but it’s very difficult.” In a twist, the Long Lost Family team discovered that Gemma, who had been named Angela at birth, had also contacted the show in the past to find her biological family.
Gemma was told about her mother’s death off-screen before host Nicky Campbell informed her that she had a brother, and passed on an emotional message. “Your brother, Michael, wanted to tell you that she didn’t want to give you up for adoption. She thought about you every day. She always, always loved you, and she wanted to tell you that. She wanted to see you and tell you that”, Nicky told Gemma.
Later in the episode, Davina McCall informed Michael of the wonderful news that Gemma had been found. This left him feeling incredibly emotional to hear that his sister wanted to have contact with him.
Davina explained: “She has been looking for 30 years. She was really sad to hear that your mum had died, but she was so grateful that someone was looking for her. She applied for Long Lost Family, so it’s incredible.”
Michael couldn’t wait to meet her but wistfully said, “I just wish my mum was here. 30 years? Oh god, if only I had knew.” Gemma traveled from Manchester to London to meet her brother, and when they came face-to-face, they could not stop crying. “This has been the best day of my life. It’s like a dream come true, I finally met my sister,” Michael added.
Long Lost Family is available to stream on ITVX