Man finally discovers identity of boy in mum's tattoo after lifetime of her keeping it a secret

A 44-year-old man has found out the identity of the boy his mother had a tattoo of on her arm after she kept the secret all her life.

Mark Thorpe said he was 'always intrigued' by the photo of a baby which his mum Diane kept beside her bed and had tattooed onto herself. He said that growing up, he knew the baby 'wasn't me', and he'd keep asking about the picture, but his mum was 'very vague' and 'elusive' until she finally admitted the truth.

Mark's mum told him that the boy in the picture was his big brother and that 'he got taken away'.

Diane's father was a strict man, and when she had her first child, she was 19 and single, so he told her to give up her son for adoption.

Mark had known that his older brother had been called Kevin David Phillips when he was born in Norwich, and that after giving him up, Diane suffered from bouts of depression.

His mum died in 2023 at the age of 73, and Mark has since been searching for his brother with the help of Long Lost Family. He's got his wife Kate and their three children Zak, Noah, and Eve supporting him, and has said he loves being a father.

Claiming he'd 'be lost without my children, it would be like losing part of your heart', he understands the pain his mum went through giving up her eldest child, adding: "The little photo, it's created a large shadow."

The team behind the Channel 4 show were able to find a lead on the elder brother and learn what his new name was, leading them to a 55-year-old man called Martin.

A musician in Gloucestershire with a mightily impressive beard, Martin knew since he was young that he'd been adopted, but had never considered the possibility that he might have a sibling.

Mark and Martin were finally united (Channel 4)

Looking rather like a folksy Gandalf, Martin got very emotional when he learned his biological mum kept the picture of him close by and even had it tattooed on her. He was glad his mum 'wasn't averse to tats' and remembered him, and he was even happier to learn that he had a brother to meet.

A keen musician, a talent he'd picked up from his adoptive mother, Martin was living in Gloucestershire and was given a note written by Mark along with pictures of his biological mum's tattoo showing him as a baby.

Reading the letter his younger brother had written him, Martin said: "I can't wait to meet the guy, this guy's put his soul on this piece of paper. Well done. Top bloke."

Upon seeing a picture of his older brother, Mark's first reaction was to point out his 'massive beard' and spoke of the relief he felt at finally seeing him.

"I feel slightly up here somewhere. It’s really strange. It literally does feel like… something's lifted," he said.

Eventually of course the brothers did meet, with Mark saying the revelation must have been a 'bombshell', but Martin said 'it turned out to be full of glitter'.