Blackpool man finds long-lost brother lived a mile away for 50 years

A Blackpool man given up for adoption as a baby found he had a brother who had been living just a mile away for 50 years.
Davina McCallDavina McCall
Davina McCall

Steve Belshaw was just hours old when his 17-year-old mother placed a newspaper advert putting him up for adoption.

His mum Frances Unsworth, who made the agonising decision after her partner was killed in an accident, died in 2004 without ever meeting her son.

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Mr Belshaw, 54, tried to find out about his family heritage when he learned of his mother’s fate.

But in a bittersweet discovery, he found out he had a brother living a mile away in the resort.

The revelation came about after he appeared on ITV’s Long Lost Family, presented by Davina McCall.

The programme brought the pair together in a pub where for the first time, Mr Belshaw met his half-brother Rob Hall, 49.

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Following a tear-jerking meeting, Mr Belshaw said: “To have a little brother… I never saw this in my wildest dreams. Meeting Rob has allowed me to feel closer to my birth mother. He has got so many memories to share.

“All that will help to build a much clearer picture of the kind of person she was.’

Speaking about his mother, he said: “To have lost her boyfriend, the father of her child, I can only see her world fall apart. It’s unusual to advertise your unborn child but I think it’s an extraordinarily loving thing to do.”

Mr Belshaw heard how his mother Frances, who worked in a sweet factory, but would often mention him to his brother. He said: “To know that makes me enormously happy.”

The episode will be aired on Wednesday at 9pm.

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