Long Lost Family viewers left shocked over 'heartbreaking' Spanish baby-trafficking scandal as British mother continues search for her daughter - 32 years after doctors 'lied to her' about newborn dying at birth
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Fans of Long Lost Family are reeling after the latest episode of the ITV series that investigates Spain's historic baby-trafficking scandal premiered on Tuesday. Long Lost Family: Spanish Baby Scandal shines a light on the plight of British and Spanish mothers whose babies were stolen at birth as part of an elaborate and far-reaching operation led by doctors, nurses, and priests under General Franco's reign.
![[Ruth, pictured with Davina McCall, contact producers of the ITV programme Long Lost Family to try and find out the truth of what happened to Rebecca all those years ago]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/22/08/94216325-14312105-Ruth_pictured_with_Davina_McCall_contact_producers_of_the_ITV_pr-a-1_1737535389005.jpg)
The hour-long special hosted by Davina McCall features the stories of Ruth Appleby, a 61-year-old Briton from Yorkshire as well as Spanish woman Maria-Elena and her mother Ana, both living in London. Ruth and Ana are among the hundreds of thousands of women who believe their babies were cruelly snatched from them at birth. In both cases, doctors at Spanish hospitals told them their newborns had died.
Both Ana and Ruth believe the children were later sold to other couples. The hard-hitting special sparked disbelief and horror among viewers, who branded the Spanish baby scandal - that spanned three decades - absolutely 'heartbreaking' in messages posted on X/Twitter.
'Look into the Spanish Baby scandal,' one X user wrote. 'I'm watching Long Lost Family Special on now. Those b******s have been stealing babies for so long!. 'Pure evil.'. Long Lost Family: Spanish Baby Scandal investigates the plight of British and Spanish mothers caught up in Spain's historic baby-trafficking scandal. Briton Ruth Appleby and her former husband Howard, a fellow Briton who worked in publishing, were living in the northern city of La Coruna when she gave birth to her daughter Rebecca.
