Two sisters who had no idea the other existed have been united after spending more than 60 years apart, thanks to a surprising DNA test.
Julie Mamo, now 66, was born in Dover in 1956 and adopted at nine days old after her mother, Lillian Fisher, then 17 and unmarried, felt pressure to give her up.
She later moved to Australia with her adoptive parents, Mavis and David Holland.
Ms Fisher went on to have four more children including another daughter, Julie Ansell, now 64, who lives in St Margaret’s Bay, Kent.
The sisters – now known as “Julie 1” and “Julie 2”, were finally brought together after their nephew, Jason Fisher, embarked on a quest to discover his heritage.
Now they are determined to make up for the lost decades.
Ms Ansell recalled her mother, who has now died, telling her aged 12 that she had previously given up a baby for adoption.
Speaking about her connection with her sister, she said: “We have just slotted into each other’s lives like a jigsaw puzzle.
“We just get on, we don’t even try, it’s no effort.”
Ms Mamo said: “It’s surreal still even though we are together now, it’s still really unreal, it’s beautiful.”
A DNA test on genealogy website, MyHeritage.com, revealed how Mr Fisher had a 90% match with Ms Mamo – who was unknown to him at the time.
The dad-of-three then went on a mission to learn more about his mysterious relative, making contact with Ms Mamo’s daughter, Louise, on Facebook.
The sisters were finally united after their nephew contacted Ms Mamo’s daughter, Louise (centre)
This resulted in the sisters finally coming face to face after Ms Ansell travelled to Australia last month.
The pair realised how much they had in common, from eating spiders and Vicks Vaporub as children to enjoying the same hobbies, including making wooden crafts.
They returned to the UK together so Ms Mamo could could meet her extended family.
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Mr Fisher said: “She’s inherited all of us, she’s always smiling. Every day I talk to Julie (Mamo) it’s like I have known her all my life.
“It cost me £35 to find this out and I got an auntie and a cousin who are the best.
“When you have a stranger come into your life, you think how is it going to go and she’s just slotted in.”
The two Julies, pictured with their niece, Jess, brother, Ted and nephew, Jason
Ms Mamo is due to return home next month but the sisters are planning to meet again in Bali next year.
“The hardest part is how I go back now, my family will still be here,” she said.
They are also doing another DNA test to learn if they have the same father, as they believe “anything is possible”.
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