Overview

• Teaching assistant Paula Cottrell, now 64, described a childhood marked by neglect and said her boyfriend disappeared when she became pregnant at 19.
• She named her newborn Lee in 1980, and he was placed into care after two days before being adopted by a couple who said they would call him Paul in her honor.
• Her son, Paul Clarke, is now a 45-year-old university lecturer in Liverpool who says he had a loving upbringing with adoptive parents Christine and Peter and has been married to his partner, Owen, for two decades.
• Producers contacted Clarke by post earlier this year, and he quickly agreed to take part after receiving encouragement from his family.
• During the filmed reunion, Clarke told Cottrell, “I’m definitely yours,” and both expressed a hope to maintain some contact going forward.