It's happy families for Louise, who tracked down her long-lost father... and found she had 11 new siblings

A WOMAN tracked down her long-lost dad by placing an advert in a local newspaper and discovered she had 11 extra siblings.

- By KATE POUNDS

Louise Walters, 55, from Newark, found out the man she thought was her father, wasn’t her real dad, when she was aged eight.

Decades were spent unsuccessfully trying to track down her birth father, from Brighton, via websites and social workers, with no luck.

She placed an advert in the Lost Touch column of the Brighton Argus which said: “I am trying to trace a Gary Pavella who lived in Kemp Town in the late 1960s.”

Years passed and Graham Peveller, now 81, who was known as Gary, found the advert when he was Googling his old name. He had always wondered about Louise so got in touch and the father and daughter were finally reunited after decades apart.

The reunion led her to discover and mostly meet 11 new half-siblings from all across the world.

Sales manager Louise now chats on the phone to her newfound relatives once a month and goes to family occasions and events.

Mum-of-two Louise said: “It was amazing to hear his voice for the first time on the phone. He said ‘I love you’ and it was like I'd won the lottery. I felt complete.

“It's really hard not knowing who your dad is. It's like there's a piece missing.