‘I was separated from my brother as a baby but now we’re finally reunited’ – The Mirror

Tegan was brought to tears after appearing on ITV’s Long Lost Family (Image: ITV)

A woman has shared how she was reunited with her brother after being separated as babies.

Siblings Tegan and Kenneth were set to be adopted together as children, but just a few months later, three-month-old Kenneth was returned to the care system.

Tegan was so young she had no recollection of her baby brother, who was 14 months younger than her. The pair were unaware of each other’s existence before Tegan unexpectedly learnt about him years later when perusing her adoption documents.

Eager to locate her brother, she turned to the TV programme Long Lost Family, hoping they could help trace him.

The ITV hit show, presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell tells extraordinary stories of people yearning to find missing family, with help from a team of trained intermediaries, DNA experts and investigators.

Davina McCall was on hand to help Tegan reunite with her brother (Image: ITV)

The series investigates mysteries that have troubled entire lives, uncovering answers that no one else could find.

During tonight’s episode (July 6), which originally aired in 2024, Tegan recounts how they spent a mere six weeks together before Kenneth was removed.

“Knowing that he didn’t stay with me is quite devastating and difficult,” she expressed. “I was shocked to think he had been there and had then been sent back. Where did he get sent back to? Who took him? Was he taken by social services? I have no idea. I find it sad that we could have been together longer.”

Overcome with emotion, Tegan confessed she would “absolutely love to have him back in my life”.

However, the search proved challenging. Although the specialist researchers managed to unearth Kenneth’s adoption documents and discovered he’d been adopted by a family named the Allens, his common surname meant locating him was a lengthy process.

The siblings finally reunited decades after being separated (Image: ITV)

After a year of searching, and reaching out to every Kenneth Allen across the UK, he was finally located.

Astonishingly, he was living just 10 miles away from his sister in London, with Tegan living in Ealing and Kenneth in Balham.

Upon being informed that he had a sister, Kenneth confessed that he “cried for about four hours”.

Both siblings recounted their challenging childhoods, with Tegan reflecting on how she “doesn’t remember feeling loved”, while her younger brother described loneliness as “the epitome of my youth”.

In heart-wrenching scenes, the two finally come face to face and the pair are overjoyed to finally meet.

“I’m super happy to have a blood brother,” Tegan said. “There is a bond between us. I feel at ease with him. I don’t feel like he’s a stranger at all.”

Meanwhile, Kenneth recalled: “Just meeting you today has been fantastic… it’s a dream come true.”