Long Lost Family: Adopted woman who spent 40 years searching for her biological sister after having a childhood shrouded by loneliness reveals her joy after finally meeting her sibling
A woman who longed for her biological sister for almost 40 years has said she is happy she has finally met her, but says it still feels “unreal”.
Liz Allward, 60, is a part-time hairdresser and counsellor from North Somerset. She was adopted as a baby and always had a strong suspicion she had a brother or sister, although she was never told.
Although Liz had a happy childhood, she always felt lonely. This feeling was exacerbated by the fact that her adoptive family moved frequently, making it difficult for Liz to maintain friendships.
On her wedding day in 1996, when she was 23, her adoptive mother told her she had an older biological sister, but Liz was unable to locate her, as she gave few other details.
After years of failed attempts to find her biological sister, Liz impulsively contacted ITV’s Long Lost Family. She unexpectedly received the information she had been seeking for years and, more importantly, discovered her biological sister, Deborah.
In Monday’s episode of Long Lost Family, part-time hairdresser and counsellor Liz Allward (pictured), 60, from North Somerset, finally meets her biological sister after almost 40 years of searching
Liz tells FEMAIL: ‘When I was younger… I didn’t know if it was a brother or a sister; I just knew something was missing.
‘I was adopted at a young age in Leeds, then we quickly moved to Surrey and then Bristol.
‘I had a lovely family and a lovely mother and father, I can’t blame them for anything, [they were] ‘very traditional and very honest.’
She added: ‘I’ve had a good life, but I did feel lonely as a child. The moves were hard for me.’
It wasn’t until her 23rd wedding anniversary that her adoptive mother confirmed the intuition she had always had.
Liz recalled, “When I got married, I asked my mother, I said, ‘Am I one of twins?’ She hesitated and told me that a few years earlier a daughter had been born to my biological mother. [me]’.
Her instincts were confirmed, but Liz knew nothing more about her biological sister, other than her existence.
‘I got married and life went on… I tried for a few years [to find Deborah]“, always with the support of friends,” she said.
Despite having a happy childhood, Liz always felt lonely during her teenage years (she is 16 years old in the photo)
As a mother of two, growing up she always had a strong suspicion that she had a biological brother or sister
Liz’s biological sister Debbie (pictured), from Yorkshire, knew she had a sister since she was eight
The mother of two searched online for information and applied for her adoption papers with North Somerset Council.
Liz discovered her biological sister’s name in the document. She said: ‘There was one line that said “Deborah”, it was just… overwhelming, it was scary as well.’
When Liz turned 60, she decided that the time had passed when she no longer knew her biological sister. With her daughter’s encouragement, she sent a letter of application to ITV’s Long Lost Family.
“I think after I turned 60, I thought, ‘I’ve got to do something.’ My daughter said I should do Long Lost Family. I thought I’d never do it, but I did.”
“Within two weeks someone responded with the process… it was brilliant,” the mother of two recalls.
With her daughter’s encouragement, Liz decided to sign up for ITV’s Long Lost Family in an attempt to find Debbie
Liz is photographed as a baby in the arms of her adoptive mother, Janice Harrison, who praised Liz as a “sweet” mother
Liz moved around the UK while growing up, living in Leeds, Surrey and Bristol (Liz is pictured during her childhood)
The Long Lost Family team found Deborah, now called Debbie, and discovered that unlike Liz, Debbie had been adopted into the family by her maternal aunt. She had known her biological mother as a child, but had long since lost contact.
Debbie said: ‘I was adopted into the family, so I knew a lot of the family members. Growing up, we didn’t have much, but we never lacked for anything.
‘We went on holiday to the coast every year and at Christmas we sometimes bought second-hand things, but we didn’t mind. We were happy with whatever we got.’
Unlike Liz, Debbie discovered she had a biological sister at the age of eight. She says, “I’ve thought about her a lot over the years… I’ve never forgotten her.”
She explained that she would have liked to find her biological sister, but she “didn’t know where to start.”
Last October, she came home to her surprise and found a letter from Long Lost Family. “All sorts of things went through my mind,” she recalls.
‘It took me all day to call the number and then I found out it was real. I was overjoyed.’
The mother-of-two said it still feels “surreal” to have met Debbie – and the pair hit it off straight away and found common ground
Liz (pictured with Long Lost Family presenter Davina McCall) is planning to visit Debbie in Yorkshire in October
Within a few months, Liz and Debbie met for the first time and immediately felt a connection.
Liz explains: ‘Once we sat down, we didn’t really feel awkward, we just started joking and chatting. It was great.’
“There were some similarities in our lives, but I think we’re both quite sensitive, but also feisty in other ways.” She added: “I think we’re very similar in a lot of ways.”
The mother of two continued: ‘It filled that hole and it really made me feel complete. I felt the need to do it when I was 60 and I did it. It was brilliant but it’s been a bit of a whirlwind since then… it still feels a bit surreal.’
Debbie added: ‘It was amazing, I felt like I had known her all my life.’
The couple are now enjoying getting to know each other better and making up for lost time, calling each other weekly.
Liz and Debbie plan to meet in person in October, when Liz plans a visit to Debbie’s home in Yorkshire.
The new episode of Long Lost Family airs Monday at 9pm on ITV