This is the emotional moment a woman was finally reunited with her daughter on Long Lost Family, 50 years after her partner secretly took their child to Morocco to be raised by his strict sister, who couldn’t have children.
Birmingham-based Hazel Chick, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, was left ‘crying every night’ for months when her 18-month-old daughter Sanae was taken away from her by her partner.
Her ex-husband claimed he was taking their child to Morocco to meet his relatives, however four weeks later her returned without Sanae, explaining to Hazel that he had given their daughter to his sister to care for, because she couldn’t have children of her own.
Sanae, who only discovered her ‘father and mother’ weren’t her biological parents after 30 years, had an unhappy childhood; she was forced to leave school at eleven-years-old and worked at home until she had an arranged marriage aged nineteen with a ‘controlling’ husband.
She was eventually told the truth about her parents by a distant family member and moved to England with her four children in search of her mother.
Sanae, who is now happily married to someone else and has a fifth child, contacted Long Lost Family for help, and in emotional scenes which aired last night, she was finally reunited with her mother Hazel.
This is the emotional moment a woman was finally reunited with her daughter on Long Lost Family, 50 years after her partner secretly took their child to Morocco to be raised by his strict sister, who couldn’t have children
Birmingham-based Hazel Chick, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, was left ‘crying every night’ for months when her 18-month-old daughter Sanae (pictured as a baby) was taken away from her by her partner
Sanae recalled of her childhood: ‘I had a hard life in Morocco. My parents were very strict, especially my father.
‘If you do something wrong, he’s going to beat you. I had to stay at home, doing the cleaning, the washing or sewing clothes.’
The situation only grew worse when she was married to a man over 20 years her senior at the age of just 19.
‘It was an arranged marriage. He’s very, very in control. He liked to think I was his slave,’ admitted Sanae.
Sanae had four children and was almost thirty when a distant family member, from England, revealed a devastating secret – that she was not who she thought she was.
Her ex-husband claimed he was taking their child to Morocco to meet his relatives, however four weeks later her returned without Sanae (pictured as an adult, recently), explaining to Hazel that he had given their daughter to his sister to care for, because she couldn’t have children of her own
Sanae (pictured, aged nine), who only discovered her ‘father and mother’ weren’t her biological parents after 30 years, had an unhappy childhood; she was forced to leave school at eleven-years-old and worked at home until she had an arranged marriage aged nineteen with a ‘controlling’ husband
‘I found out the truth: my father and my mum, it’s not my real family… All my life is fake,’ she recalled.
‘I feel like my heart is broken. You feel all your life is a lie. I want to know my real mother. I hope she loved me. Like I love her.’
The people who’d brought her up were in fact her paternal aunt and uncle. Her birth mother is a British woman called Hazel Chick.
Sanae had been born in Birmingham and taken to Morocco by her father when she was 18-months-old.
She was eventually told the truth about her parents by a distant family member and moved to England with her four children in search of her mother (pictured)
Hearing this shocking news, Sanae’s thoughts immediately turned to her mother in England and she went to the British Embassy in Rabat and traced her British birth certificate.
Then, as a British citizen, Sanae move to the UK with her children. She is now happily remarried and surrounded by family.
But without knowing her birth mother, she felt she could not feel truly complete. She’s spent 20 years living in Britain and searching for her mother.
‘From my heart I wish to meet her one time in my life. See her, hug her because it’s so hard you know because it’s my mum,’ said Sanae.
Sanae, who is now happily married to someone else and has a fifth child, contacted Long Lost Family for help, and in emotional scenes which aired last night, she was finally reunited with her mother Hazel
The Long Lost Family team found Hazel still living in Birmingham, and when told about her discovered daughter, she said: ‘I am over the moon. I’m overjoyed. […] to actually see my daughter before I pass on.’
‘Since her dad took her away, I’ve never, never stopped thinking about her,’ the mother added.
After fifty years apart, mother and daughter were finally reunited in emotional scenes on yesterday’s programme.
‘Today has meant everything to me. She is my life not in my life, she is my life. I love her, I always have, I always will… I’m glad she’s back in my life,’ said Hazel.
‘Today is the best day, an amazing day,’ added Sanae.