Emotional moment woman who feared her son wouldn’t forgive her for giving him up for adoption is praised by him for her ‘selflessness’ and ‘courage’ in letter on Long Lost Family

• Caroline Kinsey, 63, of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, was looking for her eldest son
• READ MORE: Long Lost Family viewers are left ‘sobbing’ as grandmother, 74, reunites with the son she was forced to give up when she was 16

A woman who feared her eldest son would never forgive her for giving him up for adoption was left visibly emotional when receiving a letter on Long Lost Family from him, in which he praised her ‘selflessness’ and ‘courage’.

Caroline Kinsey, 63, of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, gave birth to Simon when she was just 18. Upon being told the news of her pregnancy, her boyfriend and the father of the baby walked out on her. 

With no means to give the newborn the sort of upbringing she wanted for him she made the painful decision to give him up. 

She admitted on tonight’s Long Lost Family that she never even held her son as she knew if she did she wouldn’t have been able to let him go.

But thankfully, researchers on the ITV programme found Simon, who was renamed Thomas by his adopted parents, and the birth mother and son were reunited in emotional scenes. Ahead of the reunion, Tom sent Caroline a touching letter.

Upon being told the team had tracked down Tom, Caroline asked: ‘I’d like to ask him if he has forgiven me, because how can anybody really give away a baby?’

She was then handed a letter Tom wrote to Caroline which said: ‘Dear Caroline. Thanks for reaching out. My feelings about being adopted is a true sense of wonder and gratitude.

‘Since becoming a parent myself, I’ve been abele to imagine the level of courage and selflessness it would take to make such a decision.  And I feel compelled to say thank you. We are looking forward to meeting you, Tom.’ 

‘There’s always the possibly that he might just [say] “oh well she gave me up, I don’t want anything to do with her”, an emotional Caroline said after reading the note.

The mother-of-three said she has not stopped thinking about her long lost son for the past 43 years. She showed Long Lost Family the diary from the year she lost her son.  

Caroline said: ‘This is my 1980 diary that opens automatically to the page when I had Simon. It also tells me the day I came home alone.’

She added: ‘I never held him because if I had’ve held him I wouldn’t have been able to have given him up. 

‘I can just remember this little bundle with lots of black hair. And that was the last time I saw him.’ 

Caroline Kinsey (pictured), 63, of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, gave birth to Simon (now named Tom) when she was just 18

Tom wrote her a letter, praising her for her courage and ‘selflessness’ when Caroline was worried that he would not be able to forgive her

Caroline Kinsey (pictured centre right) with her husband David (pictured right), her son Tom (pictured centre left) and his wife Sam (pictured left)

When handed a photograph of her son now, she said: ‘Oh my goodness, dark hair, handsome. He looks lovely.’

Earlier she recalled: ‘The decision to put him up for adoption was entirely my own decision.  I do believe that a family unit should be a mother and father because you work as a team to raise a family.

‘I didn’t have any money. And I wouldn’t have been able to give a baby the upbringing and childhood I wanted to give him.’

Recovering in hospital after the birth, Caroline only saw Simon – who weighed eight pounds three ounces – twice.

Simon was renamed by his adoptive parents as Tom, ironically what Caroline’s other son is called.

Caroline later went on to marry her husband David and have twin children, Tom and Amy, now both 23.

Tom, who lives in Somerset, is 43, married to Sam, and has two children aged 8 and 3, meaning that Caroline is a grandmother. 

After giving up Simon for adoption Caroline went on to marry and have two twins (pictured) who are now aged 23

Caroline pictured as a young woman. She says she has thought about Simon every day since she gave him up as a baby

He told co-presenter Nicky Campbell that he has known he was adopted for as long as he can remember, and that his adoptive parents have been amazing, and he’s grateful to Caroline.

A week after hearing the news that her son had been found, Caroline travelled to Berkshire to see Tom for the first time in more than 40 years and said she felt ‘nervous, apprehensive, excited.’

She added: ‘It’s like meeting a stranger who should be really close.’ 

Tom said: ‘I’m interested to know where some of my quirks have come from. Because if you don’t know me you could misinterpret my general demeanour as not very affectionate.’

‘I’m most looking forward to giving him a hug because It’ll be the first time I’ve ever held him,’ Caroline said.

Despite Tom admitting that he’s not a hugger, the pair smiled at each other and then engaged in a long, heartfelt hug that Caroline had always wanted.

Tom asked Caroline if she was okay, she responded: ‘I’ve waited 43 years for that hug.’

Caroline asked ITV to help her with her quest to find her son so she can cope with the guilt she has had since giving him up for adoption

Tom said his adoptive parents had given him many opportunities and Caroline then said how grateful she was to Tom’s parents for ‘giving you what I couldn’t give you.’

Bizarrely, it seems the pair might’ve even met years before and not even known.  Caroline owned a sports shop in Bishops Stortford, where Tom went to school and played hockey. 

He said: ‘I went to school in Bishops Stortford so I’ve probably been into the shop and might’ve bought a hockey stick off you,’ to which Caroline responded with ‘spooky.’

Caroline said: ‘I was very very nervous before I came through the door, but as soon as I saw Tom, it all disappeared. It was like a dream come true really. There seems to be some similarities, we both speak quite quietly.’

Tom then showed Caroline pictures of her grandsons and she called them ‘gorgeous.’

He said: ‘It was really nice to meet her. I think we’re quite similar, just the way we talked. She’s quite thoughtful, I think we’re quite similar like that.

‘I’m a bit shell shocked but questions have been answered, or started to be answered,’ Tom said. 

Tom was introduced to his siblings Tom and Amy via video call and even joked about whether a name change needs to take place.

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