ITV's Long Lost Family: What Happened Next? aired heartbreaking scenes on Monday, August 8, after it explores what happened after a man met his father for the first time. In 2018, the Long Lost Family team took on the case of Pearse Egan, who grew up in the Republic of Ireland with single mum, Anne.
A 17-year-old Anne met Pearse’s father, Eddie Santos, whilst he was a security guard in New York. Shortly after falling pregnant, Anne made the decision to move back to Northern Ireland to have Pearse, meaning that until 2018, Eddie had never met his son. In a tragic revelation, Pearse describes that following their first meeting, it has been difficult to build a relationship as Eddie has had both a heart attack and contracted coronavirus.
Reuniting with host Davina McCall, Pearse tells her: “To be honest, it’s one of those things. I didn’t know what I had until it went.” He adds that Eddie hasn’t been as “vocal” since then, due to the constraints of his medical treatment. Pearse stresses that not only had that been “tough” but also, the huge distance between them. He says that he has been to New York “three or four times” since he first met his father and is doing his utmost to slowly build a relationship with him.
