ITV's Long Lost Family, hosted by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, is set to air the moving story of a man whose life was turned upside down by a family secret. Scott Shearer, now a married business consultant from Aldershot, Hampshire, was 12 years old when he discovered that the people he believed to be his parents, Ted and Sylvia, were actually his grandparents.
Scott's biological mother was Pauline, the older 'sister' who left home when he was a baby. Further revelations emerged when he learned that Pauline had given birth to three other children who were placed for adoption. After being reunited with his mother and tracking down his twin siblings, one crucial piece of the puzzle remained missing: his sister Tina.
Scott turned to the ITV programme for help in locating Tina. He said: 'She remains a mystery. An enigma. I have always felt a connection to her even though I have never met her. She is the first born of the clan. She is the big sister and I want her to know she's always been in our minds.'
Growing up, Scott always felt 'something was off' as he was mixed-race while the rest of the family were white. The truth came out after a confrontation with his sister Kerry, who told him that Ted was not his father. Pauline had married at 16 and had Tina, followed by twins a year later, and then Scott at 19 from a different relationship. Unable to cope as a single mother, she placed Tina and the twins for adoption, while her parents raised Scott.
The show's research team traced Tina, now known as Tina Twiddy, living in Southampton just 40 miles from Aldershot. She is a mother of two with nine grandchildren and is recovering from major spinal surgery. Learning about Scott came as a 'massive surprise'. Davina and Nicky arranged an emotional first meeting, where Scott told Tina: 'You were never forgotten. You were always in our thoughts. We have always loved you. You were missed.'
