A Chester woman’s search for her birth mother through ITV ’s Long Lost Family uncovered the sad news her mum had died.
But a huge positive was when Cathie Cutler-Evans, 53, from Guilden Sutton , found out she had a half brother and sister.
Since then the siblings have formed a powerful bond.
Long Lost Family: What Happened Next, which airs at 9pm on Monday, follows Cathie’s journey in a show, presented by Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall , featuring three tear-jerking stories.
ITV says: “In this series we revisit nine of our most compelling stories and explore the challenging, unexpected and emotional turns their lives have taken.”
It was in 2016 that Cathie, who runs Westminster Barbers in Hoole , approached the programme desperate to find her birth mother Adrienne who had given her up for adoption nearly 50 years before.
Cathie, who has three sons, had enjoyed a happy childhood on the Wirral and knew from an early age she was adopted.
As a teenager, Cathie’s adoptive parents showed her a letter from Adrienne, thanking them and requesting they explain to Cathie how much she loved her. It was a life changing moment for Cathie, who wanted to know more about her birth mother.
Cathie’s adoptive mum told her all she knew. Adrienne was 19 and single when she gave birth. She wanted Cathie to be part of a family so after caring for her daughter for the first 10 weeks, she took her to an adoption agency in Liverpool.
Before learning of her mum’s death, Cathie said: “Such a long time has passed, but I’ve still thought about her every day and the older I get, the more I think about her.”
Long Lost Family found a marriage for Adrienne Powell in Cheshire in 1966. After searching under her married name, the show discovered the awful news Adrienne had died in 2012.
But records did show Adrienne had two other children, a son Mark and daughter Ann.
Married with four children, Ann lives in Bedfordshire. She always knew about her big sister Cathie and said Adrienne had spent many years searching for Cathie hoping to be re-united.
In the first show, Cathie was told off-camera about her mother’s passing before Davina revealed she had a half brother and sister.
Cathie was overcome with emotion: “I know I won’t get to see Adrienne, but I can’t wait to meet Ann... I’ve always wanted a sister and now I’ve got one.”
Cathie met up with her half-sister Ann in Liverpool just a week later. Since the meeting, the sisters have become very close to each other and their brother Mark.
And they’ve all had to come to terms with the fact Cathie will never get to meet their birth mum.
ITV says of the follow-up programme: “We discover how building their relationship has given them all the strength to deal with their grief, and find out how Cathie has felt about being welcomed into a huge new family.”
■ Long Lost Family: What Happened Next, airs at 9pm on ITV1 on Monday, June 11.
