Nicky Campbell's heartbreak after feeling 'nothing' when he first met birth mum

14 August 2023 , 13:46

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Nicky Campbell's heartbreak after feeling 'nothing' when he first met birth mum

Nicky Campbell was born in April 1961, but he was given up for adoption at a young age. The TV presenter, who was taken in by his adoptive parents who raised him as their own, decided to go in search of his birth mum during his twenties after having a 'blissful' childhood with his adoptive family.

After finding his birth mother, who has now sadly passed away, Nicky, 62, now helps other loved ones reconnect with their families in Long Lost Family, which is airing a special episode tonight at 9pm on ITV1 about two men who were placed into adoption services due to the fact their mothers were unmarried and in Ireland in the 50s and 60s.

Appearing on Monday's instalment of Loose Women to share some insight into the special episode of the tear-jerking show, Nicky admitted that he could resonate with the two men who will appear in the special due to the fact that their birth mother's were also forced to give away their babies because they were from Ireland and it was illegal and highly frowned upon to have children outside of wedlock.

Nicky Campbell's heartbreak as he admits he 'felt numb' after meeting birth mum (ITV)

Nicky was adopted at just four days old by Scottish couple Frank and Sheila Campbell. His biological mother, Stella Lackey, gave him away as she was unmarried at the time. She moved from Dublin to Edinburgh, hoping to escape the shame of being a single parent back in those days. For the first five years of Nicky’s life, Stella sent Christmas cards to her son but it wasn’t for another 24 years that they would meet face to face.

When Nicky was in his 20s, he decided to look for his birth mother in 1989. Eventually, he found her when he was 29 in 1990, though later admitted that he felt 'no emotional connection' to his birth mother. Appearing on Loose Women today, Nicky said that he felt 'completely numb' when he first set eyes on his mother, but one thing she said stuck with him forever.

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Explaining the situation to the Loose Women panel, Nicky said that he knew is mum was a good person (ITV)

Explaining the situation to the Loose Women panel, Nicky said that he knew is mum was a good person because within the first few minutes of meeting her long lost son, she quizzed him on whether he liked dogs or not. "I see that as a really positive thing. She was trying to work out if I was a good person or not. Every good person like animals."

Sadly, Nicky's time with his birth mother was cut short when she died in 2008. Nicky flew over to attend the funeral in Dublin where he helped carry her coffin. While he was in Ireland, Nicky was joined by his half-sister Esther, who Stella had given birth to with another man.

Lost Lost Family airs tonight at 9pm on ITV1.

Susan Knox