Man left in a bin at 2 weeks old meets his paternal half-brother on Long Lost Family

A man who was abandoned and left in a bin at two weeks old by his mother has met his paternal half-brother for the first time on Long Lost Family. 

In the ITV programme last night, Paul Connolly, who was born in east London in 1962, was searching for his father’s side of the family after spending his childhood in care. He had only periodic contact with his maternal Irish relatives.

Paul’s mother, who suffered a breakdown, ‘put him out with the rubbish’ when he was less than a month old. Thankfully, a neighbour heard his cries and called social services.

After his two sons gifted him a DNA test sampling kit, Paul discovered he was half Maltese – and thanks to Long Lost Family researchers, he eventually found his paternal half-brother Frankie Peroni, 62, who attended the same school as him at the same time.

But the pair’s astonishing similarities – including their resemblance to one another – weren’t what left viewers most distracted. Instead, they couldn’t get over Paul’s age with many in disbelief that the youthful-looking father-of-two was 60 years old.

One person wrote: ‘Can’t believe he is 60. He’s aged well. #LongLostFamily.’ While a second viewer added: ‘No way he’s 60.’

Another said: ‘Paul’s 60. He sure as hell doesn’t look it. Hubby said he’d have said he was in his 40s #LongLostFamily.’ A third added: ‘He looks amazing! Hope he gets some answers #LongLostFamily.’

The father-of-two was an amateur boxer before he set up his own successful fitness and rehabilitation business.

Paul said his loneliness as a child was ‘like a physical pain’, adding: ‘I’ve got a great life now, I’ve been able to give my kids everything I never had. With both of my sons it was paramount that they never felt insecure or lonely or that desperation I felt.’ 

In emotional scenes, which aired last night, Paul, based in Billericay, Essex, met his half-brother for the first time, with the pair shocked at their uncanny physical resemblance.

They were also astounded by other similarities, from both their mothers being Irish Catholic to also attending the same school in Essex at the same time. They now live just 14 miles away from one another.

Telling Paul about Frankie’s journey, co-presenter Davina McCall said: ‘His mother shipped him to Northern Ireland to live with the grandparents and when Frankie came back to the UK he ended up going into care and being fostered. 

‘It’s so similar to your story. He became a bit of a bad boy but he did have a turning point in his life and he started working and he loved it, he’s done really well.’

Following their meeting, Paul said: ‘Of course it is later in life that we’ve found each other, but at the same time, I think you’ve just got to be grateful for everyday. 

‘I started out looking for my father and instead I found a brother. So the future is bright as they say.’

Paul endured a tough childhood after being take into care. He was sent to St. Leonard’s Children’s Home in Hornchurch, Essex, at eight years old.

He recalled: ‘There was a lot of mental torture, there was a lot of physical beatings… I slept under the bed… my comfort was a kitchen knife with a wooden handle, I held on to that for dear life.’

On Paul’s birth certificate, his parents are listed as Matthew and Mary Connolly, who were Irish immigrants.

However, he recalled being aware that he looked different to his maternal brother, who would say to him: ‘You’re Pino’s son.’

Pino was a local Maltese businessman who ran a shop nearby his mother’s home. 

Paul had always thought his brother was joking, however when his two sons gifted him a DNA test sampling kit, he was shocked to discovered that the results showed he was half Irish, half Maltese.

Thanks to DNA analysis, the Long Lost Family team discovered Frankie, who tells co-presenter Nicky Campbell that his father was a Maltese shop owner called Philip Psaila, also known as Pino.

Frankie spent his childhood with his mother, who died in 2017, with Pino visiting occasionally before the shop owner’s death in 1968. 

During their childhoods both Frankie and Paul attended Bishop Ward, an all-boys Catholic school in Dagenham, Essex.

They also crossed paths later in life. With musician Frankie performing at a nightclub where Paul worked as a doorman.

Paul’s mother passed away a few years ago. Speaking about the reasons why his mother might’ve left him, Paul told The Sun: ‘My mum must have known I would look different to the rest of the kids. 

‘I think she was embarrassed that I was illegitimate. In the 60s, that was a big deal. She had a tough upbringing and she had to do what she had to do to survive. It was probably the best thing she could have done really.’

He added on the programme: ‘I didn’t have any real contact with my mother, but I had a couple of conversations with her and this was never mentioned to me. Obviously this was the secret she probably took to the grave.’

Elsewhere in the programme a man who was given up for adoption as a baby was left heartbroken after discovering that his parents went on to marry and have two more children.

Shaun Lawrence, 54, grew up in Kent after being adopted when he was five months old and appeared on the latest episode of ITV’s Long Lost Family.

The father-of-two, who works as a school site manager, said he never had any doubt that his adoptive parents saw him as their own.

He said: ‘My adoptive mum and dad loved me. They looked after me. It was special, and still is.’ 

However, for the past 20 years, Shaun has been searching for more information about his biological family. 

On last night’s episode, Shaun was seen inspecting his birth certificate from 1968 – which reveals his parents’ full names.

After doing his own independent research, the former firefighter was shocked to discover that his biological mother Eileen and father John married a year after they gave him up.

Shaun said: ‘I’m not a child who was born in a relationship that didn’t continue – it did continue. In fact, it went on to become something more that I wasn’t around for.’ 

Following this discovery, Shaun then started a new line of research to find out if they had any more children after him.

In 1973, the couple had a daughter called Michelle before then welcoming their third child Natalie the following year.

As thrilled as he was to learn he had two sisters, Shaun said this discovery was somewhat bittersweet – as he wondered why his parents didn’t keep him. 

He said: ‘The questions that were going through my head were, “could you have not held onto me?

‘I wonder if they had their chance again whether they would have kept me. They brought me into this world and I don’t want to leave this world without ever knowing.’

Although Shaun had found out the names of his immediate family, he was struggling to track them down on his own. 

With the help of the Long Lost Family team, Shaun found out that his parents had subsequently divorced – and his mother was registered under her new married name. 

After being put in contact with his mother and sisters, Shaun learned that Eileen has a rare neurological condition called PSP, which affects her speech and eyes.

When she fell pregnant at 18, she was working as a student nurse and had to leave her job as a result.

As a single mother, Eileen couldn’t get a flat – but was able to spend six weeks with Shaun in a mother and baby home. At the time, Eileen says she felt hopeless and had no other choice but to give up her first-born.

However, she was delighted to be reunited with Shaun 54 years later with her ex-husband and daughters. She said: ‘It’s a miracle, really. I’m so excited to meet him.’ 

During the emotional meeting, John and Eileen are profusely apologetic for giving up Shaun – but he is thrilled to know it wasn’t any easy decision for them.

He told them: ‘To hear that I was loved and that you continued to think about me…to talk about me…meant so much. As all of a sudden I mattered.’