Louise Walters grew up in a loving home but still felt like something was missing. At age 8, she found out that the man she thought was her dad was not actually her biological father. With the help of various websites and social workers, she spent years trying to identify her biological dad. When she received a call saying he’d been found in 2013, she assumed that meant her dad was dead. In reality, she was eventually able to meet him, and in the process, she also discovered that she has 11 other siblings.
Louise was ‘obsessed’ with the idea of finding her dad.
Louise’s mom, Angie Ishmael, 79, and her biological dad, Graham Peveller, 81, lived together for about a year. In 1969, Angie found out she was pregnant, and after an argument, she ended up losing touch with Graham before Louise was even born. When Louise learned the truth, she was determined to locate her biological dad. “It’s really hard not knowing who your dad is. It’s like there’s a piece missing,” Louise, 55, told SWNS.
Her mom seemed less interested. “Mum said he was really irresponsible,” Louise added. “She said ‘he’s either dead or in prison.'”
After years of trying to find him with no success, Louise and Angie decided to place an ad in the “Lost Touch” column of a newspaper in 2010. Still, years went by and they didn’t hear anything.
Then, three years later they received a call that changed everything.
The call was from a woman named Marie-Ann, who claimed to be Louise’s sister. Apparently, Louise’s dad stumbled upon the newspaper column because her mom remembered the name of the barbershop he ran when they were together and included that in the ad. One day, when thinking about his past, Graham happened to Google his former business and ended up finding his long-lost daughter.
Louise told SWNS that she truly “couldn’t believe it,” and though they spent years apart, they actually “hit it off straight away” when they met again. Despite growing up without her biological dad in her life, Louise feels like she’s “known him forever.”
She added, “The best part is that he’s always been looking for me. We felt immediately connected. We can talk about anything.”
Her family also expanded.
Through connecting with her long-lost dad, Louise also discovered that she has 11 siblings in addition to the two sisters she already had a relationship with. Her dad had welcomed 12 children with seven different women. Now, Louise has met most of her siblings and has a close relationship with a few of them.
“I love being part of a huge family,” she said. “We’re all different and have had very different lives, but we’re all very kind and welcoming.”
Louise met two of her siblings, Rosie, 18 and Leslie, 20, in 2014 when she met her father. The following year, she met Zoe, 43. Later, she met Marie Ann, 54, Jenny, who is in her 20s, and Emil, also in his 20s.
Louise told the news outlet that she “felt complete” after reuniting with her biological father. Connecting with her siblings has also been “very humbling” because she had “an idyllic, lovely, childhood” and some of her half-siblings didn’t have that.
Her dad said meeting Louise was “such a great surprise” because he “had always wondered about her and what she was doing,” per SWNS. Now, they meet up frequently and have “a great relationship.”
