Emotional second lady meets her half-brother on Long Lost Family
This is the emotional moment a woman who was abandoned in a phone box as a newborn baby met her half-brother for the first time on Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace after a six-year search.
Susanne Barrow’s story was one of the very first foundling cases the ITV team took on – and after more than half a decade, the researchers finally discovered a close DNA family match.
The 48-year-old was found in a phone box in East London when she was only a day old, alongside a heartbreaking note from her birth mother, who promised to one day return.
‘I cannot keep the baby. Please call her Maria. My maiden name is Roberts and I would like her to have it,’ read the message. ‘I have no one to help me so please take care of her for me. I am going to try and find her again, even if it means going to jail.’
Astonishingly, Susanne’s birth mother had tried to find her daughter three months later – but sadly, her call to the council housing offices had been noted down but ignored.
Susanne, who only discovered she had been adopted at the age of 12, finally received answers about her birth family during tonight’s episode of the ITV show, before she was introduced to her paternal half-brother Brian in emotional scenes.
This is the emotional moment a woman who was abandoned in a phone box as a newborn baby met her half-brother for the first time on Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace after a six-year search
The mother-of-two was left as a baby in the British capital, alongside the extremely detailed note from her birth mother, which also revealed: ‘I cannot keep the baby, my husband left me when I was 8 months [pregnant].’
Despite newspaper appeals, no one came forward to claim the newborn… or so it seemed.
Years later, when Susanne accessed her social work files, she found a scribbled record of a message left on an answering phone in the council housing offices, when she would have been just three months old.
The note read: ‘There was a telephone message, a very distraught sounding woman who was crying and therefore, message very garbled, saying, “I want my baby back.”‘
Susanne’s mother had indeed tried to find her again – but sadly, her distraught plea had been ignored due to miscommunication.
After being discovered, Susanne was fostered and at six months old, she was adopted by a couple living in the area.
‘I had a lovely mum and dad but I always wanted an older brother. Being raised as an only child, you do miss having somebody to share life’s ups and downs with,’ said Susanne.
Susanne Barrow’s (pictured) story was one of the very first foundling cases the ITV team took on – and after more than half a decade, the researchers finally discovered a close DNA family match
The 48-year-old (pictured left) was found in a phone box in East London when she was only a day old, alongside a heartbreaking note from her birth mother, who promised to one day return
Astonishingly, Susanne’s birth mother had tried to find her daughter three months later – but sadly, her call to the council housing offices had been noted down but ignored. Pictured, Susanne meeting Brian
Susanne, who only discovered she had been adopted at the age of 12, finally received answers about her birth family during tonight’s episode of the ITV show, before she was introduced to her paternal half-brother Brian (pictured) in emotional scenes
Susanne only learnt the truth about her story at the age of 12; she had been snooping in her adoptive mother’s suitcase of private documents, when she came across baby photos she didn’t recognise and a newspaper article about her start in life.
‘I didn’t even know I was adopted. It’s just, mind blown, like how is this possible? …As a 12-year-old, I just couldn’t handle that. The safest thing was to put it all away…. but you can’t go back once you’ve discovered something,’ said Susanne.
Even now, Susanne’s never spoken to her parents about what she had found – but she wanted to find out more about her birth family after getting married and having two sons of her own.
Six years after the Long Lost Family team first took on her search, the researchers finally found some answers after discovering her half-brother Brian through DNA testing.
Brian, 54, shares the same father as Susanne – but was raised as an only child by his single mother in East London.
After ITV contacted Brian, he asked his mother about his father for the first time, and through doing so, the Long Lost Family team were able to get in contact with Susanne’s birth father.
Susanne’s birth father, who is still processing the news, was not aware she existed and has been unable to confirm who Susanne’s birth mother is.
But Brian – who also discovered he is one of 11 children on his father’s side – was keen to meet his half-sister, with the two meeting one another for the first time on the show.
Susanne only learnt the truth about her story at the age of 12; she had been snooping in her adoptive mother’s suitcase of private documents, when she came across baby photos she didn’t recognise and a newspaper article about her start in life
Even now, Susanne’s never spoken to her parents about what she had found – but she wanted to find out more about her birth family after getting married and having two sons of her own. Pictured, Susanne as a baby
Six years after the Long Lost Family team first took on her search, the researchers finally found some answers after discovering her half-brother Brian through DNA testing. Pictured, Susanne as a baby in a newspaper article
Brian, 54, shares the same father as Susanne – but was raised as an only child by his single mother in East London. Pictured, Susanne finding out about her half-brother for the first time
After sharing a big hug, Susanne said: ‘I’ve always had this image of having an older brother. Somebody’s just started ticking off my Christmas list.’
Following their first meeting, she added: ‘I didn’t expect to feel like this. Like I’ve known him all my life. Strangely, It’s just so comfortable.
‘It’s just amazing to have somebody that understands. He doesn’t know our birth father. We can go on that journey together. Compare how we both feel. You can’t have those conversations with anyone else.’
Still some questions remain unanswered for Susanne, and her greatest hope is that someone sees tonight’s programme, recognises her story, and brings her to the one person she still truly needs to find.
‘If my birth mother is still alive, I just want her to get in contact. Or even if she doesn’t feel she can just know that I’m OK, I’ve had a great life,’ Susanne said.
‘Thank you for the sacrifice that you made. And, you know, despite the tears, I am really happy.’
Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace is on Mon 10th, Tues 11th and Weds 12th June at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX
