Touching moment woman, 50, who was put up for adoption because her 'grandmother didn't want to take her in' when her mother was left destitute is reunited with her brother on Long Lost Family

Mother-of-two Lisa Irvine, 50, from Somerset, was born on the Isle of Wright
She was adopted at seven-months-old by a couple who already had one child
Lisa told the ITV show: 'My whole life, I've felt like an imposter in another family'
But thankfully, she was reunited with her old brother Nicholas, from Kent

Published: 07:35 BST, 17 August 2021 | Updated: 07:35 BST, 17 August 2021

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A woman who has spent more than three decades searching for her birth family has finally been reunited with her older brother on Long Lost Family.

Lisa Irvine, 50, from Somerset, was born on the Isle of Wright and, after a short time in foster care, was adopted at seven-months-old by a couple who already had one child.

The mother-of-two struggled with her adoption, admitting: 'My whole life, I've felt like an imposter in another family. I don't know where I belong.'

She spent 36 years searching for her birth family before contacting Long Lost Family for help and being reunited with her Kent-based older brother Nicholas. Sadly, Lisa's mother passed away in 2013.

Lisa also discovered how her grandmother 'forced her mother to give her up' because she didn't feel she had enough room to house both Lisa and Nicholas.

In emotional scenes aired last night, Nicholas and Lisa meet one another, while the team also discovered a younger brother called Andrew, who would prefer not to be on camera.

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Lisa Irvine (pictured reuniting with her birth brother), 50, from Somerset, was born on the Isle of Wright and, after a short time in foster care, was adopted at seven-months-old by a couple who already had one child

The mother-of-two (pictured with Nicholas) struggled with her adoption, admitting: 'My whole life, I've felt like an imposter in another family. I don't know where I belong.'

As an adult Lisa accessed her adoption records and learned that her birth father had left her birth mother 'destitute' just two months before their child was born.

Even more shocking was the discovery that her mother already had an older child, called Nicholas, at the time.

Her file showed her birth mother's only option was to move in with her own mother, who would only take Nicholas in, forcing her to give up Lisa for adoption.

Lisa said: 'So my mother was forced to put me up for adoption by my grandmother.'

But Lisa was determined to find both her birth mother and brother and spent 36 years trying to discover them, saying: 'I need to find them just to feel like I belong.'

She spent 36 years searching for her birth family before contacting Long Lost Family for help and being reunited with her Kent-based older brother Nicholas. Sadly, Lisa's mother passed away in 2013. Pictured, Lisa aged four

Long Lost Family researchers eventually discover her birth brother Nicholas in Kent, however he reveals their mother sadly died in 2013. A younger brother called Andrew is also found but would prefer not to be on camera.

Nicholas, who has always known about Lisa, said: 'Letting [Lisa] go was probably one of the hardest things [our mother] ever had to do.'

Upon hearing the news that her family has been found, Lisa said: 'My heart is bursting right now.'

Nicholas travelled to meet with Lisa near her home and in an emotional reunion, she admitted: 'I've been looking for around 36 years. I've always grown up not knowing anything.

Long Lost Family researchers eventually discover her birth brother Nicholas (pictured) in Kent

'Being an adopted child, you just feel lost. I've always grown up feeling like I wasn't wanted.'

However her birth brother was quick to reassure her, saying: 'That was never the case, you were never, ever given away and forgotten about. You've always been my sister.

'If mum could've been here now, she would've been full of apology. She certainly wouldn't have given you away by choice. We always came first, regardless. She would've loved this though.'

Lisa said: 'The most important thing that I've learned is that I was wanted, and that I wasn't just an abandoned baby. And that's the most incredible feeling in the world, so I'm at peace now.'