Jean was just 16 when she was sent to a mother and baby home and her daughter was taken away from her – now, 70 years later, she is finally reunited with her

Davina McCall and Jean Byrne (searcher) (Image: ITV)

Nearly seven decades after she last cradled her baby, elderly Jean’s eyes well up with tears as she recalls her newborn’s blue eyes and blonde hair. Her infant daughter, whom she named Maria, was cruelly taken away for adoption without even a chance for a farewell kiss – and Jean never laid eyes on her again, until now.

In heart-wrenching scenes set to air in a Long Lost Family: Mother and Baby Home Scandal special on ITV, the 85-year-old finally reunites with the child who was so ruthlessly ripped from her arms, leaving her traumatised for years. Jean was a mere 16 in the summer of 1956 when she found out she was expecting a child with Tony, her first boyfriend.

They had plans to wed, but having brought disgrace upon her family, Jean was dispatched to the Home of the Good Shepherd Mother and Baby Home in Haslemere, Surrey, a home founded by a moral welfare association affiliated with the Church of England, where a baptism and adoption were organised.

Jean, from Chertsey, Surrey, recalls: “It was a big house and we had to scrub all that clean. We had to go to the chapel every morning and evening to ask forgiveness for what we’d done. I didn’t know I was pregnant at first because I wasn’t sure how to have a baby. I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do. My dad was a bully. I remember him saying to my mother, ‘I told you she’d be no good, didn’t I?’ He called me the biggest w**** under the sun when he found out I was pregnant. I couldn’t stay there because of ‘What about my father’s job?’ You’d think he was the Prime Minister, instead of the caretaker of a school.”

Jean continues: “I’ve always felt inferior, I’m not good enough for people,” reports the Mirror.

Jean Byrne (searcher – centre front row) and Cathy (found person – to Jean’s right) together with family at reunion. (Image: ITV)

The two-part ITV documentary, presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, explores this shocking scandal through three deeply moving investigations.

Davina observes: “You’ve probably walked past a mother and baby home on a quiet suburban street and have no idea of its secret history or what happened to young unmarried mothers.”

Left with little choice, Jean and Tony reluctantly brought their 10-week-old infant to the London headquarters of the Southwark Catholic Rescue Society.

Jean reveals: “I gave her to this woman who’d said we’d go and show her off, so I thought she was bringing her back to let us kiss her goodbye, but she didn’t. When she was 18, I wrote to the society to ask if they had any news of her. He wrote back and said ‘No’, and maybe we’ll be reunited in heaven one day. I thought that was a horrible thing to say to me.”

Jean’s tale represents merely one of countless heartbreaking stories from an era spanning the 1940s to 1970s, when approximately 200,000 unmarried women – many barely out of childhood – were confined to institutions frequently operated by religious groups, with thousands of their infants subsequently removed for adoption.

Jean, a participant on Long Lost Family, experiences a significant breakthrough as the team successfully locates her daughter, now known as Cathy Maria. Cathy, a 68-year-old mother of two who resides in Ilford, London, with her husband, Gary, of 51 years, had a positive adoption experience and is overjoyed to hear from her birth mother.

She empathetically states: “I feel very sorry for what she had to go through – I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. My own daughter is unmarried and has a daughter who lives with us, and she’s a delight. I think it was an absolute disgrace the way women were treated in those days.”

Jean finally finds her daughter Cathy, who she hasn’t seen for nearly 70 years (Image: ITV)

Overcome with emotion as she reads Jean’s letter seeking her forgiveness, Cathy adds: “I never ever blamed her. I’m sad that she’s been looking for so long.”

Upon hearing that Cathy has been located and wishes to meet her, Jean is utterly overwhelmed. Jean, who later had four more children and separated from her husband, expresses: “I just hope she likes me and I don’t let her down.”

The story underscores a common theme where many women affected by forced adoptions often blame themselves.

Campaigners are now urging the UK government to follow in the footsteps of the Welsh, Scottish, and Irish governments by issuing an apology to those affected. However, time is ticking for these women to locate any adopted children.

Jean and Cathy are among the fortunate ones. As they prepare for their reunion, both are filled with nerves and emotion, but as soon as they see each other, they embrace and hold hands tightly.

“I didn’t think this day would ever come,” Cathy admits. “We’ve been waiting nearly 69 years since she was last able to hug me.”

Young Cathy (Image: ITV)

Jean confesses: “We had nobody to help us, and I had no choice. I had nowhere to go. I knew I couldn’t keep you, so I tried not to love you too much.”

Cathy responds: “I had a hole in my life, you had a hole in your life. We’ve now managed to fill the hole.”

Reflecting on the reunion, Jean says, “I kept looking at my arms because the last time she was in my arms. It will probably sink in a lot more as time goes by. But I’ve also got to try to forgive myself.”

As the mother and daughter introduce each other to their extended families, Jean reveals, “Now I know why I’ve lived so long. This is the reason.”

She adds, “I’m feeling quite happy inside. I still can’t believe it. I won’t need to worry about her anymore because she’s got a family and they seem very kind.”

Cathy declares, “This is going to change my life. That void has been filled.”

Long Lost Family: The Mother and Baby Home Scandal will be available to watch on ITVX.

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