Good Morning Britain's Kate Garraway showed her compassionate side as she consoled a guest during an emotional segment on the show. On Thursday, Kate and co-host Richard Madeley were joined by Diana Defries, who at just 16 was forced to give up her baby for adoption and is now demanding a formal apology from the Government.
In a poignant moment, Richard inquired about her final moments with her child, to which Diana responded: "I can, it isn't easy because it's very difficult experience to talk about.". She recounted: "I stood there holding her and I felt, it was like something had changed in me, holding her that length of time. It suddenly all made sense, this was my child. I was filled with this feeling of joy.".
She continued: "The woman came out and said, 'it's time' I still thought that they would change their minds and I just shook my head and held onto her. My mother said, 'Oh for goodness sake' prized her out of my arms and handed her over.". Overwhelmed by emotion, Diana found it hard to proceed, prompting Kate to step in with comfort and tissues. Richard encouraged Diana to take her time, while Kate sensitively asked: "I know how important this is for you to speak out about this. What was the impact on your life? Of all of this? ".
Diana revealed the profound effect the ordeal had on her, saying: "It changed everything.", reports the Manchester Evening News, and detailed how it stripped her of her autonomy and power. Diana opened up to Kate and Richard about the traumatic experience she endured just days after her 17th birthday, which had a profound impact on her life. "It affected my education, it affected the way I went forward," she said. "I made some, probably poor choices because I felt I was devalued.".
When Richard probed about how this event impacted her relationship with her mother, Diana disclosed that she never received an apology from her mother and has never forgiven her. Kate then inquired if Diana had been able to reconnect with her child who was taken away, to which she responded: "Yes, in that respect, I'm very lucky. She's also said we've been very fortunate. I was able to reunite with her when she was 18.".
ITV highlighted that Diana is among the 200,000 unmarried mothers who were coerced into giving up their babies for adoption in Britain from the 1950s to the 1970s, and now they are demanding an official apology from the Government. Keen to understand what such an apology would signify for her, Kate asked Diana, who explained: "What would it mean for me, and for all the people affected by this. Both the mothers and the children who were taken, it would be an acknowledgement of the major, major injustice which we faced.
"It would be a way of validating what we've been saying for years, for decades, that this was wrong. It should've never happened. The support was available, but we weren't told.". Diana expressed to the ITV presenters that if an apology was given, the burden of shame carried by these women for so long would be transferred onto the state, who she believes is accountable for the events. On Thursday evening, ITV viewers will have the opportunity to delve deeper into Diana's story and others in the programme Forced Adoption: Britain's Silent Scandal.
