A Long Lost Family star, who was reunited with his half-brother on the ITV show just a few weeks ago, has died at the age of 54. Steve Belshaw finally met his half-brother for the first time in 50 years, after discovering he lived just one mile away. He had initially been searching for his birth mother, who was just 17 when she posted an advert in a local newspaper to find suitable parents for her baby. She made the decision to do so after his father was tragically killed in a motorbike accident. Unfortunately he was never able to meet his mum, having learned that she passed away years earlier. But he did discover he had a half-brother Rob, who had been living on his doorstep.
© Photo: ITVLong Lost Family star Steve Belshaw has sadly passed away
Sadly, just two months after their emotional show aired, Steve passed away suddenly. "I don't know what to say other than we're devastated and he's been taken from us far too soon," Rob's partner Kelly told the Mirror. The cause of death is currently unknown.
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Prior to going on the show, Steve, from Blackpool, believed he had no living relatives. He had never met his birth mother Frances and had never even seen a photograph of her until host Davina McCall showed him a picture of his mum for the first time. And she further surprised him by adding: "Do you know where we got it? You have a half-brother called Rob."
© Photo: ITVHe was reunited on the show with his half-brother Rob
Steve broke down in tears as the two brothers met for the very time. Rob, also in tears, told him: "I must have passed you in the street." Following their meeting, Steve said; "To have a little brother… I never saw this in my wildest dreams. Meeting Rob has allowed me to feel much closer to my birth mother. He has got so many memories to share. All that will help me build a much clearer picture of the kind of person she way." Rob added: "I hope we will be friends as well as brothers. I think that we will be."
The Long Last Family episode featuring Steve and Rob was broadcast on 9 August.
