This is the emotional moment when an 89-year-old finally enjoyed a dance with his daughter, whom he found 58 years after she and her mother “vanished into thin air.”
Based in London, Roy David appeared in Long Lost Family in 2021 after spending decades searching for his daughter Cheryl, who he had last seen as a six-year-old in the Bronx, New York.
Cheryl and her mum Sylvia ‘disappeared into thin air’ while Roy was in the Merchant Navy – but thankfully the father and daughter were reunited on the ITV show after more than half a decade.
However, on tonight’s Long Lost Family: What Happened Next, Roy, the oldest seeker on the show, explained how he suffers from glaucoma, a common cause of vision loss. He admitted that he may be making his last trip to New York to see his daughter.
In a sweet moment at his 89th birthday party, the couple – who have visited each other as much as possible despite the distance – enjoy a father-daughter dance after Cheryl explains how it makes up for whoever she wasn’t with. her marriage.
This is the emotional moment an 89-year-old finally enjoyed a dance with his daughter, whom he found 58 years after she and her mother ‘vanished into thin air’
She said, ‘I have to dance with my father. Yes I did. When I was married, the first dance was usually with your father. I never got that. I got it today. The love in the room overflowed, it was a true blessing.
“This trip was a little different because it’s probably the last trip he’ll make to the United States. So it was very important that I make it an unforgettable and happy time,” she added.
Roy, meanwhile, admitted, “What happened today will stay in my heart for the rest of my life. It was the happiest birthday I’ve ever celebrated in all my 89 years.’
Born in Guyana, South America, Roy spent his life in the merchant marine. In the 1950s, he arrived in New York at the age of 19 and met student nurse Sylvia, Cheryl’s mother.
After Sylvia became pregnant, Roy married her and moved in with her mother. However, he was soon evicted due to mounting tensions following his long spells at sea.
He would visit his daughter for five years, until one day his family “disappeared into thin air,” with Roy eventually settling in England and marrying Itha, whom he has been with for over 40 years.
Amazingly, Cherly was discovered in Queens, not far from the Bronx, and in heartwarming scenes, first airing in 2021, the father and daughter were reunited in London.
On the show, Roy, who has a son from a previous relationship and three stepchildren, recalled the joy of becoming a father for the first time.
Roy spent decades hoping to find his daughter Cheryl. In the photo, Roy and Cheryl are reunited
Born in Guyana, South America, Roy spent his life in the merchant marine. In the 1950s, he arrived in New York at the age of 19 and met student nurse Sylvia, Cheryl’s mother. In the photo, the father and daughter are dancing together
During the show, Roy, who has a son from a previous relationship and three stepchildren, recalls how much fun it was to become a father for the first time. Pictured, Cheryl on her wedding day
He said: ‘She was a sweet child – one of my great experiences with her, my first child, is changing diapers for the first time and taking her in her pram. I felt very good as a father.’
But there were tensions within the family. Roy felt that he fell short of his mother-in-law’s expectations and he was often at sea. Finally, Sylvia and her mother asked Roy to leave. He recalled, “I didn’t want to leave, but they told me to go.”
For the next five years, whenever Roy returned from the sea, he went to visit his daughter – until one day she was gone.
Roy said, ‘I found out they had moved. [It] It was as if she had just vanished into thin air. They made sure they left no trail for me to follow.”
Roy settled in England and married Itha, but kept thinking of his daughter, saying, “I really and sincerely would like to tell her how sorry I am for not being there for her, and I should have been.”
“It eats at me every day, every day. I don’t think I could go to my resting place with that consciousness. I am now at an age where I don’t think I have long to live. I would very much like to see my daughter.’
Amazingly, Cherly (pictured meeting her half-brother Gerald) was discovered in Queens, not far from the Bronx
The Long Lost Family team found Roy’s daughter, Cheryl David, who still lives in New York. Cheryl, who is married with children and grandchildren, was shocked to find out her father (pictured) was looking for her
The Long Lost Family team found Roy’s daughter, Cheryl David, who still lives in New York. Cheryl, who is married with children and grandchildren, was shocked to find out her father was looking for her.
She said her father was never spoken of growing up, so she blocked him, not believing she would ever get a chance to meet him.
Cheryl was also thrilled to learn she has a brother, especially when she finds out he lives just around the corner from her in New York.
Cheryl and her eldest daughter Derisse, 47, flew to London to meet Roy after quarantine, with the father and daughter falling into each other’s arms in a touching reunion.
Roy met Cheryl outside in a park and told Cheryl he loves her, resting her head on his shoulders.
Roy reflected, “I was on the ninth cloud and I feel like I’m walking in space, the moment was so amazing. It made me a new man, yes, a real new man… that guilt is gone, my life is complete.”