A WOMAN whose dad was adopted when he was a toddler has been reunited with her long lost aunty.

Martin Bowers’ adoption when he was two had been a family secret for more than 50 years.

But after he died from motor neurone disease, daughter Cara, from Colchester, wanted to find out more about his original family.

Cara’s search came to a happy conclusion when she was reunited with her dad’s sister, Christina, on ITV’s Long Lost Family.

Martin died when Cara was just 14 .

Now aged in her mid-forties, Cara told the programme: “I had gone down every route possible since about 2010 to try to find dad’s family.

“I found out he had three sisters and they wouldn’t have known he passed away and they needed to know that.”

Halstead Gazette:

Pictured as a child with her dad Martin Bowers

The programme had started with Christina’s search for her brother, Martin. His surname was changed to Bowers when he was adopted in Essex by Brenda and Ken.

Christina, 61, lives in Northamptonshire, and had only discovered shortly before her father died that she had a brother who she had never met.

Their parents had split up when she was aged four.

They were not together when her mum had discovered she was pregnant with Martin, so he was adopted when he was a toddler.

Christina and her two sisters were put into care but kept together.

Years later the three sisters went back to live with their mother.

Cara had contacted the Barnado’s charity to find out more about her dad and knew he was listed for adoption at the aged of two and had three sisters.

Although she knew he didn’t want to make contact with his birth mother, Cara said he had wanted to know his three sisters.

Cara and Christina were put in touch after the help of the programme’s research teams.

In an emotional letter to her aunty Christina, Cara wrote: “I look at your photo every day. You have the kindest eyes, just like your brother’s.”

The two were reunited on the programme, with Cara telling Christine: “It is just like we have known each other all our lives.

“It was this instant connection, it was almost just like part of my dad had just walked into the room – that twinkle in his eye.”