I thought finding my birth father would be like a missing puzzle piece – but Long Lost Family turned that upside down
A WOMAN thought that finding her birth father would be the missing puzzle piece to her life, but a shocking revelation from Long Lost Family changed that.
ITV viewers were left emotional last night as a brand new episode of Long Lost Family showed Rachel Burch's struggle for acceptance.
The 50-year-old NHS worker was one of the only mixed race people in her tiny West Sussex village, and shared that she was bullied at school.
Rachel grew up with a white mum and stepdad, so she always thought that finding her birth father would help her connect with her roots.
She knew her dad was from Jamaica but hadn't seen him since she was 18 months old.
The mum-of-three told the Metro: "I really wanted to know about my family heritage because I had never known my dad or my paternal side of the family.
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"I couldn’t remember him because my mum raised us, and I was young [when he left].
"Being brought up in a white western family I really wanted to know about my Jamaican roots.
"I felt I had missed out and wanted to know who I looked like and where I came from and that side of the family."
When she eventually turned to Long Lost Family for answers, she was shocked to find her dad wouldn't be the missing puzzle piece she was looking for.
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Tragically, the team discovered that her birth father Errol Dawson had died two decades ago.
But they also found Rachel had a sister she never knew about.
Sian Evans, 28, only discovered Errol was her biological dad after doing a DNA test as an adult.
The show helped the sisters meet for the first time ever - and Rachel was emotional to finally meet a relative who looked the same as her.
She said: "I couldn’t stop thinking about her and wanted to meet her right away, but it was strange because I was meeting a complete stranger.
"It was odd because I am quite a sceptical person, but it was just like an instant feeling and connection, and I was overwhelmed at how I felt [when we met]."
Fans were left in tears and took to social media to share their support for Rachel.
One wrote: "Loved it again and such a sad story but great to see families reunited, tissues always at the ready."
Another said: "Sian and Rachel. I really hope they can build a strong relationship for their future."
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