Marion Jones, 73, had been forced to give up her baby daughter, Julie, six weeks after giving birth – and thanks to ITV's Long Lost Family, the pair have finally reunited.
In emotional scenes airing tonight, 55-year-old Julie tracked down her mother after spending decades battling guilt and fearing she had "wrecked" her mum's life.
"I changed a life and I have carried the guilt, which is not my fault obviously, but thinking, I hope I haven't wrecked her life," explained Julie.
"Until I find out, that guilt will never go away."
While Julie had tried to track down her mum when she was just 18, she struggled to make any progress, knowing very little about her biological parent.
Although the show – which is presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell – initially struggled to get hold of Marion, they eventually tracked her down, and the mother and daughter had a tear-jerking reunion in Birmingham.
Marion explained she had discovered she was pregnant only months into a new relationship.
And after the 18-year-old revealed her pregnancy to Julie's birth father, he disappeared – and Marion later found out he was already married.
The teenage mum was sent to a mother and baby unit to deliver her child after Julie's grandparents refused to let their daughter keep her unborn baby.
"Because I was an unmarried mother I got treated like dirt. There was no sympathy, no compassion," revealed Marion.
The 73-year-old explained she was able to keep Julie for just six weeks and despite knitting baby clothes and praying they wouldn't be separated, social workers eventually asked Marion to dress Julie in smart clothes, before ruthlessly taking away her tiny baby.
"You're a mother, it doesn't matter how old you are, that's your child," she said.
In a heartbreaking scene, Marion also explained she marks Julie's birthday each year in her diary.
Following their heartfelt reunion, Julie revealed a lifetime of pain had finally been lifted.
Marion, who is now a grandmother, said: "It's wonderful to be with her and have her in my arms again. She's my daughter and she‘s absolutely beautiful. I feel whole again."
Catch the full episode tonight at 9pm on ITV.
Last month, we told you about the adopted woman on Long Lost Family who was devastated to learn her Italian birth mum died just months before they had a chance to reunite.
We also told you about the nurse who tracked down her biological mum and cared for her for nine years…but never revealed she was her daughter.
And we showed you the Mum who shrinks her waist to just 21 inches and will spend £15k getting six ribs removed to become UK’s real life Barbie.
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