Long Lost Family is returning to ITV for a new series, with a woman from Newcastle at the centre of an emotionally charged episode. The show, hosted by Davina McCall, will feature Avril, who is seeking help to find the baby girl she gave up for adoption in the 1960s.
Avril's story
Avril, who gave birth at the age of 15, welcomes Davina to her home on Tyneside. She shows Davina a photo of the baby she has kept by her bed ever since, having never given up hope of a reunion.
Avril was still at school when she became pregnant after a brief relationship with a boy she met at a dance. Her mother sent her to a mother and baby home in Carlisle, where she gave birth to a daughter she named Michelle.
Emotional reunion
Avril visits the mother and baby home where she was last with her baby six decades ago. She tells Davina: "My little girl, my little lass, I’ve shed some tears about her over the years – absolutely gorgeous. I had her until she was 8 weeks old so I haven’t seen her for nearly 62 years and I do love her still."
She adds: "I spent as much time with her as I could. I loved this child, it was my child. But we couldn't afford to keep her."
The reunion
The episode features an emotional reunion on the day that Avril's daughter, now called Eleanor, turns 62. Davina's co-host Nicky Campbell goes to meet Eleanor, who first lived in Cumbria, then moved to London and now lives in Essex.
