Long Lost Family returns with series 13 and perhaps one of the most emotional stories ever – that of Paul Connolly.
Paul, now 60, was abandoned as a baby, and suffered horrendous abuse during his brutal childhood. In the first episode of Long Lost Family series 13, he is shocked to discover the truth about his parents.
Born in East London in 1962, Paul believed he was the eighth child of an Irish family who’d moved to London in the 1950s. His father is listed as Matthew Connolly and his mother Mary Connolly on his birth certificate.
But, as he investigates his true origins, Paul – who now lives in Billericay – discovers that his birth certificate is a lie.
Long Lost Family Paul Connolly: ‘My mother put me out with the rubbish’
Former amateur boxer Paul is now a father of two, and runs his own fitness and rehabilitation business. After his own traumatic childhood, he was intent on providing a stable background for his own sons.
He says: “I love the fact that I’ve been able to give my kids everything I never had. With my sons, it was paramount that they never felt insecure or lonely, or that desperation that I felt. I felt loneliness as a child that was like a physical pain. It’s painful to be that alone. So for my kids, I’m always making sure they know I’m there.”
Paul tells us that his mother had a breakdown when he was born and put him out with the rubbish when he was two weeks old in East London. Luckily a neighbour heard his cries and called social services.
Paul subsequently spent his childhood in care, having periodic contact with his family. At the age of eight, the authorities sent him to St. Leonard’s Children’s Home in Hornchurch – an establishment now infamous for its abuse.
He explains: “There was a lot of sexual abuse, mental torture and physical beatings. I didn’t sleep on the bed for three years; I slept underneath it. Most kids would have a teddy bear… My comfort was a kitchen knife with a wood handle, which I held onto for dear life.”
After leaving the children’s home, Paul narrowly avoided a life of crime. He joined a boxing club, which he describes as family.
Paul Connolly’s emotional journey on Long Lost Family
Paul built his sense of identity from scraps of information. He is subsequently shocked when a DNA test reveals some shocking news about his birth father. The test shows that he is half Irish, and half Maltese.
He reveals that a local shop owner called Pino was jokingly referred to as his dad when he was growing up. However, tests prove that Phillip Psaila – aka Pino – was in fact Paul’s father.
Paul says: “I had no real contact with my mother, but we had a couple of conversations. My mother never mentioned Pino being my dad. This was a secret she took to the grave. At 60 years old, I don’t know where I’ve come from, or who I am.”
Sadly Pino died in 1968. However, Paul is thrilled to meet a half brother on his dad’s side. His half brother Frankie Pironi, 62, lives in Southend and is one of three siblings Pino had with an Irish Catholic woman. Unbelievably, the two men discover they went to the same school and were there at the same time.
Some book fans might recognise Paul Connolly as the author of several autobiographies about his childhood. He’s the author of Beating the Odds, Against All Odds, Big Boys Don’t Cry, and Not Normal.
Long Lost Family series 13
The multi award-winning ITV1 series Long Lost Family continues with more incredible and moving stories of people desperate to find missing family.
A team of DNA experts and investigators attempt to find people who previously couldn’t be traced. They help answer questions that have haunted them their entire lives.
Episode one follows two very different stories of men searching for family and the truth about their beginnings. As well as the amazing true story of Paul Connolly, the show helps Shaun Lawrence.
Shaun, 54, had a happy adoption with wonderful parents but was always curious about his birth parents. When he began looking into his adoption, he made a remarkable discovery.
Shaun appears on Long Lost Family with the extraordinary request to find his entire family. He says: “My adoptive mum and dad loved me. They looked after me. It was special, and still is.
“But my birth parents actually stayed together and then decided to get married a year after my birth… Which was quite a surprise, if I’m honest. I didn’t expect that at all.”
Digging deeper, Shaun discovered that his birth parents had two further children together: his full sisters, Michelle and Natalie. In very emotional scenes, Shaun meets them, and finds out the real reason why they gave him away.
Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall host the popular series.
Long Lost Family series 13 starts on ITV1 and ITVX on Monday, July 03, 2023 at 9pm.
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