Scottish woman reveals she ‘covered skin in talcum powder’ as a child to be like her white adoptive mother – before discovering her birth parents were Native American on Long Lost Family
- Adopted woman Paula, from Buckie, appears on Long Lost Family tonight
- Says she ‘remembers covering herself in talcum powder’ to be like white mother
- Learns on the programme that her biological parents were Native American
- Spoke to Ranvir Singh on Lorraine today about the ‘mind-blowing’ revelation
A Scottish woman who ‘covered her skin in talcum powder’ as a child to be like her white adoptive mother has said learning she was Native American on Long Lost Family was ‘mind-blowing.’
Paula, from Buckie in Scotland, appears on the ITV programme tonight and describes how she struggled growing up with a different skin colour from her adoptive white family.
She is reunited with her Native American birth family on the show, and appeared on Lorraine today where she said she had been ‘blown away’ by the revelation.
Paula explained: ‘I’ve always wondered who I looked like and wondered who or where I come from. It kind of all just made sense when we found out – because I do look Native American.’
Paula, from Buckie in Scotland, appeared on Lorraine today where she revealed learning she was Native American on ITV’s Long Lost Family was ‘mind-blowing’
Paula said she struggled growing up with her adoptive white parents as a mixed race woman and wondered why she had a different skin colour from her mother and father (pictured, with her adoptive father)
Speaking on the ITV show tonight, Paula says: ‘Being adopted you’re different but being mixed race as well makes you even more different.
‘Why did I have a different skin colour to my mum and dad?’
She continues: ‘I can remember covering myself in talcum powder from head-to-toe and Mum came in and I said, “I’m the same colour as you mum, I’m white”.
‘I think that broke her heart.’
Appearing on Lorraine, Paula told Ranvir Singh she was born in Aberdeen and had lived in Scotland her whole life
Meanwhile talking on Lorraine to guest host Ranvir Singh, Paula said things ‘fell into place’ when she discovered she is Native American.
She said: ‘I once thought South-American. I once spoke to a lady from South-American, so she told me I looked like very Chilean. I just thought that was it.
‘There was maybe a wee bit about North America.’
Speaking about her adoptive parents, she said: ‘I was born in Aberdeen and my parents adopted me and we lived in Scotland.
In a clip from the show, Paula describes covering herself in talcum powder from head-to-toe and telling her mother ‘I’m white’
‘My birth father was in the American navy so he was posted over here in England. My birth mother fell pregnant and she had me. She came up to Scotland to give birth to me.’
Sadly, Paula said she never had the chance to meet her father, explaining: ‘He passed away sadly in 1982, it’s heartbreaking that he didn’t know he had a child.
‘But I have kept in regular contact via video call with my newfound family in America. which is great.’
Paula explained that her birth father didn’t have any other children in his life, revealing her biological family now view her as a ‘nice link to him’.
Paula said she was stunned to learn that her grandfather was a spiritual chief and revealed finding photographs of him wearing a full head-dress and traditional outfit was ‘mind-blowing
Meanwhile she said she was stunned to learn that her grandfather was a spiritual chief and revealed finding photographs of him wearing a full head-dress and traditional outfit was ‘mind-blowing.’
She said: ‘I was blown away when I saw it, absolutely blown away.
‘To find out he was quite a well known Native American spiritual chief was mind-blowing.’
Ranvir wowed Paula by revealing a surprise video message from one of her newfound aunts, Eve, who told her the family are ‘so happy’ she has found them
Ranvir wowed Paula by revealing a surprise video message from one of her newfound aunts, Eve, who told her: ‘We’re so happy you’re now part of our family and were so persistent in finding your family so welcome aboard.’
She also said the experience had also been lifechanging for her son Kyle, explaining: ‘He’s done a lot of travelling and met a lot of people.
‘It’s good to know where your roots are and where you come from, he’s always been really interested in it. So it’s interesting for him as well.’
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