Festive surprise!
Andrew Field meets his brother for the first time at a Long Lost Family Christmas gathering
Three years ago, HGV driver Andrew Field’s birth mother, Susan Ellerton, tracked him down with the help of Long Lost Family after giving him up for adoption as a baby in 1962, when she was a teenager. But Andrew was stunned to learn Susan was married to his birth father, Chris, and that they’d had five more children and emigrated to Canada.
Glad tidings
This week, the family is getting back together again for ITV’s Long Lost Family Christmas Reunion, which sees 120 of the show’s previously reunited loved ones join hosts Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall for a festive feast in London. And there was an extra surprise for Andrew as he met his youngest brother, James, for the first time.
‘James was the last piece of the puzzle for me,’ says Andrew. ‘We’d spoken on the phone,
Long Lost Family Christmas Reunion Monday, 9pm ITV
but whenever we’ve been to Canada we’ve missed him, so you could have knocked me over with a feather when he came in.’
The Christmas gathering also gave Andrew a chance to spend more time with Susan and Chris, who still live in Ontario.
‘It’s so special to be with both of them,’ he says. ‘There’s never been any grudge from me because I was brought up by a fantastic family.’
During the reunion, other former Long Lost Family participants get to share their experiences.
‘It was emotional meeting people in a similar situation. There’s a bond between us all, but everyone’s story is different,’ says Andrew, who remains grateful to Long Lost Family. ‘It’s made me more complete. Some people go to the grave without answers, so I’m very fortunate.’