'We Became Friends At Work, Then Found Out We Were Long-Lost Siblings!' - This Morning.

Now we have all made friends at work who end up feeling more like family. Yeah. But for our next guest that really couldn't have been more true. Dave Green and Andrea Urmson became friends after working at Manchester airport together where they formed an instant bond. But it wasn't until two years later that they discovered the incredibly incredible reason why. They weren't just colleagues they were in fact long lost brother and sister. Such an incredible story and Dave and Andrea join us now. I mean we read this last night and you were beaming weren't we. It's so so brilliant and so lovely to hear. Dave I want to start with you. Take us back to the beginning where you first met Andrea. Where were you what were you what were you doing? So we go back quite a few years actually 2005 which is quite some time ago. I worked at Manchester airport and I looked after the day-to-day operation of the bus station and the train station. Sort of the ground transport interchange as it was called. And Andrea came to look after the vending machines that were there because the contract had just changed and they'd brought this new company in. So she asked if she could park her van. And at the time strange sort of conversation just over parking. You couldn't park anything at the airport because it was just insane. So she said can I park my van while I come and sort out these vending machines because we've got this new contract. For me being a bit cheeky said well you give me hot chocolate out of the vending machine and you can park your van you know and do what you like. So she did that and then two or three times a week she came to service the vending machines make sure they're working correctly. And we struck up this sort of rapport really. I wanted my hot chocolate obviously. And it sort of grew from there. So we started off with a five minute conversation. Realised we had so much in common. We had this sort of connection really. I know it sounds a little bit bit silly but there was a connection from the start. Just a conversational connection where we could just talk and talk and talk. And it turned into sort of a half hour conversation after a few weeks. Right. And then it got to a point where she spent more time talking to me than she did actually doing a real job and then had to run off at 100 mile an hour getting everything else done. And we did actually say to each other you know it's a bit strange this connection that we've got. And we sort of had this conversation one day and said we could be brother sister me and you couldn't really get on that well. Which again was quite surreal because unbeknownst to us we really were. And then it really sort of went from there and that went on for about two years to be honest. To a point where we really got quite upset when we had to sort of leave each other on those days. And the relationship was only created in work time. Because we were both in relationships at the time. So it was purely platonic. Absolutely. And that's why we really couldn't understand why we wanted to spend so much time together. It's like you can't put your finger on it. Not at all. What is this? It's a platonic relationship but I feel a connection. What were your friends saying at the time? Because obviously you're drinking hot chocolate till the cows come home. Yeah yeah. And your workmates are like look how much hot chocolate he gets. And the obvious sort of responses we got from well I got from a lot of my colleagues was yeah okay what's going on? Yeah. And I really said well nothing. Because I didn't know where she lived. I didn't know what relationship she was in but I didn't really care about that. It was more of the time that was spent when we were together was just lovely really. And the amount of conversational sort of connection that we had. So Andrea when did you start to think let me just it's weird the wrong word but it was such a connection. When did you start to think hang on a minute you know what topics were you talking about that suddenly made you think I wonder if it's if we're connected in any way? Yeah it was we just had so much in common like with like the gym and motorbikes and stuff like that. And certain food the same way and cups of tea the same way. And it was just looking at him as well and I thought I said to him you really remind me of someone in the family but I was thinking cousins and something like that. And it wasn't till we found out it's like the double of my mum. Wow. And I said to like we could be brother and sister. It's honestly quite I want to just quickly go back a few steps because you said at the time that you were both in relationships was there and you're sort of spending this time with each other I suppose communicating a lot. Was there a feeling of like who's this person that you're spending a lot of time with? Or was there that feeling from? From my partner. Because obviously they're not to know. I'm just trying to think if it all of a sudden my husband was like I'm talking to this person and she's bringing me home. But you only talked at work. Yeah we only talked at work. Because we didn't want to have the feeling of I don't know cheating in a way. Yeah yeah exactly. It's a different type of relationship but it's still a closeness isn't it? Yeah absolutely. And because neither of us was looking for anything other than the relationships we were in. We weren't looking for anything outside of the relationship but we couldn't deny the connection that we obviously had. Clearly not. Which was which was that was difficult for me because you know at the time I was happy in my relationship and I didn't understand why I wanted to speak to this girl for so long and why I felt so sad when I wasn't. Well genes would play a huge part in that. So tell us how because it must have been a huge shock but really it would explain all the feelings that you both had. How did it actually dawn on you that actually okay with this kind of idea of us we could be brother and sister. It was a conversation was it about adoption. Yes how did it dawn on you? It was again a chance conversation because our whole relationship has been born out of chance really. You know things being in the right place. So my relationship actually broke down in 2007 and at the time we were fostering a child me and my partner and this particular day the foster child had to go back into care because I couldn't look after him on my own. My ex couldn't look after him on her own so he had to go back into the care system which was devastating for him as well as us and I remember Andrea calling me and asking me just if I was okay just a conversation like we have quite often. I said not really I said waiting for the foster child to go back into care today I said I'm going to go to the gym after this and you know get rid of my frustrations because the fact that I'm adopted makes me feel really sort of guilty like I've let him down and that's when she said oh my god I didn't know you were adopted. All the conversations we've had it's never come up in conversation. In the two years? No no. No it never came up. I wasn't ashamed of it or anything it just wasn't they never came up yeah for whatever reason never came up and then she said I've got a brother somewhere we've been looking for him for 30 years. Oh my gosh I can't believe you never told me you were adopted. I've got a brother out there somewhere. And then what happened? I said his name's Stuart and you said. Oh my god I didn't say my god I said something totally different. My name was Stuart when I was adopted Stuart Proudlove and then she pretty much screamed down the phone. Oh my gosh that was his name. This is freaking me out. So I'm on the phone then thinking what's going on you know you can't process this information then she hung up I'll have to phone you back. Okay and what did she say? I said mum I think I found Stuart your Stuart I said can you tell me his birthday and she was like she told me that his birthday and I went right I hung up on my mum. Phone back. Called him back and I went is your birthday? 24th of March 1966 and were you born in Windsor Hospital? Yes I was. Yes. My god it's got to be you you know. Yeah it's got to be you. So we went from that particular she said shall I just meet you at your house and do you want to come and meet your mum? It's just how quickly a conversation went on within sort of minutes. So I then went to my house I can't remember making a journey to my house by the way I just can't it's a blank even now. I bet I bet. We met each other then we had this sort of ridiculously stupidly long emotional hug and we drove to Andrea's house so Andrea's mum's house where she grew up and again surreally as the closer we got to the house now I used to say I said to her I drove a bus on this route in 1986 I drove for the Beagleine Buzz company as it was called in 1986 very cheesily. Where's the bus? There's the bus it's over there can you see the bus there? And I drove the route past Andrea's house where she lived in in Altrincham past the school that she went to and probably got her and our mum on the bus for all I know because I drove it every day for a year. And then when we got to the house obviously met mum very emotional and again the most emotional part of it for me was I didn't know this at the time but I was hugging my birth mum and she stood at the back sort of giving us a sign. It was so lovely to watch. I bet I bet. And she looked over my shoulder and said to Andrea you kept your promise and it really chilled me out because Andrea if you tell tell the folks what what you promised. Mate I grew up as an only child and I didn't think it was fair that all my cousins had brothers and sisters and and so my mum told me when I was six that I actually I had a brother out there and I wanted to go and call for him and play with him and she tried so hard to find him sorry and she used to get so upset like grown up like with her getting upset because she couldn't find him and I promised her that I would find him for her. Incredible. It's miracles do happen and I think that for two years you two became best mates and you never knew that you were actually. And I just think do you know what sometimes you think this is like a chance meeting that you were you know that you were going to the vending machine that day somewhere to park but actually it's not by chance that was all supposed to happen. And if there was any sort of doubt at the time on this day when we were meeting because there was no DNA or anything like that test that we did there was any doubt that that I was who they thought they were once we went into the house. Oh wow yeah. There was a picture on the mantelpiece of this baby on a blanket and it was of me at the house in Bredbury where my adopted parents took me that they'd sent by the adoption agent to my birth and when I knew it was me because my adoptive mum had the same picture on her mantelpiece. I've seen the picture. So that was the picture I grew up with and I said that for you was a baby one very first day we got you back and my mum had the same picture. It's just like this is the most it's like the best kind of fairy tale. Yes exactly it's a it's a miracle it's a fairy tale it's also so now what's wonderful is you already had a great relationship you already felt like brother and sister yeah and so it's just having it cemented you know we are brother and sister has made the time since then just. Well we got validation we were allowed to be how we were feeling without feeling we were doing something wrong. What is this feeling? Yes and those feelings now I can only it must have been like siblings growing up having those feelings of like being protective over each other and that's what those feelings were. So it's priceless it really really I'm so happy for you guys what a lovely story for the whole family. Fantastic. It's like it's life-changing for us both I wouldn't I wouldn't spend a day without her in it honestly. Thank you so much for coming and sharing your story with us. Genuinely fantastic. Thank you.