In a remarkable story of family discovery, teaching assistant Mandy Irvin has been reunited with her long-lost sister after an astonishing fifty-six years of separation. The emotional journey, which culminated in a tearful meeting, was facilitated by the popular ITV programme Long Lost Family, hosted by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell.
A Family Secret Revealed
The extraordinary revelation began during a mundane moment in Mandy's home. While preparing a cup of tea, her father unexpectedly broached a subject that had been concealed for decades. He expressed a need to confirm whether her mother had ever shared the family's hidden secret before her passing in 2018.
Mandy, now aged fifty-six, was stunned to learn that she and her younger brother had an older sibling who had been given up for adoption. Her parents, who were teenagers at the time, had kept the pregnancy entirely secret from Mandy's grandmother due to fears of disapproval.
"Nan didn't like my dad or think he was good enough," Mandy recalls. "Once the baby was born, my mum had to tell her. The baby was taken away, and Mum was never given any more information about her. She was gone."
The Search for Sandra
Determined to uncover the truth, Mandy, who grew up in Hertfordshire, embarked on a personal investigation. Utilising the ancestry.com website, she successfully located a birth certificate that identified the baby as Sandra, born in 1965—two years prior to Mandy's own birth.
A photograph from that era shows her mother discreetly concealing her pregnancy. With the blessing of her father, who passed away in 2022, and her brother, Mandy pursued every lead but initially met with dead ends. This prompted her to seek assistance from the expert team at Long Lost Family.
An Astonishing Discovery
The ITV researchers made a breakthrough that left everyone involved in a state of disbelief. They discovered that Sandra Feasey had been adopted by a family residing in Hertfordshire and had been living merely ten miles away from her birth parents all along.
Renamed Jennifer, or Jenny, she had remained in the local area and built a life working as a school office administrator. Jenny, now fifty-eight, was entirely unaware that she had two siblings until Davina McCall delivered the life-changing news.
"I thought my birth mum was a single mum, but she was with my father when she had me," Jenny revealed. "It comes as a surprise to hear they got married. That means my sister is my full sibling. Oh, wow. That's a bit of a shock. And I have a younger brother, too."
Overcoming Personal Tragedy
For Jenny, this reunion arrives after a period of profound personal loss and hardship. She tragically lost her first husband, Barry, when he was just thirty-five years old, suffering a fatal heart attack in front of her and their children.
"That was pretty hard," she admits. Her father passed away the same year. Seven years later, she found love again with her second partner, Paul, who was adored by her children, only for him to pass away after eighteen months.
"You start thinking, 'This isn't fair. What have I done wrong to deserve this?'" Jenny reflects. She has since found stability with her current partner, Martin, with whom she has been for approximately sixteen years. "It will be nice to have something nice in my life," she adds poignantly.
A Heartfelt Reunion
The moment the sisters finally met on the television programme was charged with emotion. Upon being shown photographs of her birth parents for the first time, Jenny was moved to tears, noting, "Wow. We have the same eyes."
Mandy, who resides in Selsey, West Sussex, with her husband Malcolm, observed the striking resemblance. "She looks like my mum. She's got her smile and love for big earrings," she said affectionately.
Jenny addressed her newfound sibling warmly, stating, "You're my little sister. It's surreal. It is so amazing to meet you. It'll be a new chapter in my life. I can't change the past?" To which Mandy optimistically replied, "But we can change the future. We can make new memories. This is the best thing I've ever done. I hope it is the beginning of a long and happy relationship."
The full, emotional story of their reunion is featured on Long Lost Family, which airs tonight, Thursday, January 29, at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
