Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Hit show Long Lost Family proves a real tearjerker for host Nicky Campbell

Post Thumbnail

Long Lost Family tugs at star’s heartstrings.

It’s the series that makes the whole nation cry. Now, on the eve of Long Lost Family’s return, host Nicky Campbell has told how it hits him harder than anyone else.

But the top Scots broadcaster says the happiness that comes from being the dad of four young girls soon dries any tears away.

The fourth series of the massive Bafta-winning ITV hit which reunites long lost relatives with one another starts next month.

“You’ve got to be professional otherwise you’d be blubbing away,” Nicky, himself adopted as a baby, told The Sunday Post.

“But five or six times a series I’m seriously gone. A couple of times we’ve had to stop filming. It’s impossible not to cry sometimes.”

Twists, turns and double reunions are just a few of the things he teases for the new series.

“I tingle when I think about it. It gets right to the heart because it’s something we all understand belonging, family, love, yearning.

“I was chatting to Graham Norton after the Baftas and he said it was his favourite programme. He said what he loved was that he didn’t feel grubby watching it.

“It’s tastefully and respectfully done. I’ll never do anything like this in my career again.

“When I’m walking my dogs in the Highlands or I’m on the Tube in London, this is the one people want to talk about.”

Nicky has daughters Isla, 10, Kirsty, 12, Lilla, 14 and Breagha, 15, with wife Tina. So, what’s it like being dad to four girls challenging or enjoyable?

“Both,” he laughs. “The teenage thing is interesting, but it’s great too. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I think I’m pretty understanding with them. I have proper conversations and don’t treat them like tiny children. And it always helps the situation if you can make everyone laugh. We do plenty of that.”

Tracking down the long lost families has taken Nicky, 53, who was brought up in Edinburgh, to almost every corner of the world. It’s meant 26-hour flights to Australia and New Zealand, but it’s time the music-mad broadcaster hasn’t wasted.

He’s been penning songs for a new album with singer/songwriter Kate Robbins. The result is the 10-track We’re Just Passing Through.

“I’m immensely proud of it,” he says.

“I wrote lyrics on the plane and then emailed them to Kate. A donation from every sale is going to the British Association for Adoption and Fostering because I’m the patron.

“As so much of it was done as I travelled the world for Long Lost Family I think it fits in.”

Nicky hosts Radio 5Live’s Breakfast Show and its move to the BBC’s Salford studios has seen him add to his already extensive commuting mileage.

It means plenty of time away from his London home, but Tina gets on the train too for weekly ‘dates’.

“She comes up on a Wednesday, which is our date day. We have a nice lunch and just relax. It’s good fun and I’m back down Friday until Sunday so we probably see more of each other now than we ever did.”

He might have had his passport checked in just about every country under the sun, but it’s obvious from his warmth and affection that there’s no place like home.

Annual holidays are spent in the Highlands, with happy memories flooding back of child-hood encounters with nettles and midge bites.

“I’ve never seen anywhere more beautiful than the Western Isles,” he reflects.

“I love it in all weathers. It’s a remarkable place and when I go there I feel like I’m going home.”

He has the same feelings about Edinburgh, where his mum still lives. He’ll get more of a chance to visit when he’s in Scotland next month for his daily breakfast show as part of the BBC’s Commonwealth Games coverage.

It seems a mum’s pride nor indeed their uncanny ability to embarrass ever fades.

“She’s got every single episode of Wheel of Fortune on video cassette and doesn’t even have a player,” he sighs.

“They’re filling up the house a little bit too much. She taped them and won’t get rid of them. I’d like to take them out and burn them!”

Long Lost Family is on ITV in mid-July. We’re Just Passing Through is released on July 7. robbinscampbell.com.