Tina Duggan, 47, from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, was inspired by an episode of the ITV programme DNA Journey which saw Ant and Dec trace their genealogies.
She had been trying to track down her brothers and sisters for decades and said she “felt whole again” after finally making contact.
Ant and Dec sent a message to Tina saying: “We want to wish you the very best of luck, have the best time in Australia.”
Tina flew to Melbourne to celebrate the 60th birthday of her sister Janette along with their sister Lateesha, 52, and brothers Malcolm and Sean, who are 64 and 56.
“If I could speak to Ant and Dec I would kiss their feet. I always think ‘Thank you boys, thank your mothers’,” Janette said.
“It only took that show to spur Tina to do her DNA test. It’s thanks to them, to be honest.”
Tina grew up in Cornwall and was 14 when her mum told her there were three half-siblings who she had never met, living in Australia.
“I’m basically the youngest of six. My father was from Bristol and had several families before mine,” she said.
“It was the days before the internet. I searched and searched, but couldn’t find them anywhere.
“I was watching the programme about Ant and Dec tracing their ancestry, and said to my husband, ‘this could be my last attempt’.”
For two years after doing the test, there was radio silence. But on the other side of the world in Brisbane, Australia, Lateesha Barron was also submitting her DNA.
It showed a match with Tina’s, even though Lateesha was not one of the siblings she had been told about.
“One day during the pandemic, I got a message from this person I didn’t know – the sister I didn’t know about,” said Tina.
“I told Lateesha ‘you have three other siblings in Australia. She knew nothing about them.”
Lateesha was able to track down Malcolm, Sean and Janette “through the power of social media”.
In January 2024, Tina met one of her brothers for the first time as Sean visited London for business.
“We met between the lions in Trafalgar Square,” said Tina.
“It was like Christmas morning when you’re five years old – the emotion of it all.
“It’s a magical experience. It was really powerful, that first hug – we embraced for ages. I didn’t want to let him go.”
Now, she has finally met her Australian family, visiting 47 relatives on “a whistlestop tour”.
“My heart is racing, I’ve had hugs with everyone. They’re in my arms and the mission is accomplished – we’ve found each other,” said Tina after arriving at the airport.
“I feel at peace, I feel whole again. I don’t feel so alone any more. I don’t have any family in the UK any more, all my blood family are in Australia. It brings hope and joy.”
Tina encouraged other people trying to find their families to “keep going”.
“Don’t give up. It is worth it. I’ve been looking for 33 years!” she said.
“I am still trying to trace people in Bristol. They will hold a lot of answers for us.
“I’ve got a sister in America that I’m still looking for. I’m still on the hunt, I haven’t finished yet.”
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