Alan Parker, 56, has been reunited with his mother Anne after more than five decades, thanks to the ITV show Long Lost Family. Anne left Alan and his siblings with their father in Reading, Berkshire, 51 years ago, shortly after giving him an Action Man for his fifth birthday. Alan had no memory of his mother's face and described the last time he saw her as 'too traumatic'.
Under the laws of the time, women who left their husbands had no automatic right to keep their children. Anne explained she left her marriage because she felt unsafe, moving into a small bedsit with no room for children. She had hoped to be reunited once settled, but her ex-husband moved without telling her, and nobody would disclose his whereabouts.
The show's hosts, Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, helped locate Anne through a distant relative. She was living on the south coast with two children from a second marriage. Anne expressed fear of rejection, but was delighted to learn Alan wanted to meet her. Nicky noted it is unusual for mothers who left to appear on camera, praising Anne's bravery.
During their emotional reunion, Anne said, 'Let's get to know each other better. It doesn't feel like I don't know you. That bond went on and on. I have got my son back.' Alan, a car salesman living in Ireland with his partner Sue and daughter Katie, told her, 'I have never felt any bias towards you or hatred. I was only ever sad because you had gone. All I ever did was miss you.'
Another story features care worker Katherine Fletcher, who was adopted at age seven and sought to find her mother Adrienne. The search led to Canada, where she received both sad and happy news. Long Lost Family returns Thursday at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
