Long Lost Family: Ariel Bruce Leads 887 Reunions as DNA Transforms Searches Ariel Bruce, post-adoption specialist on ITV's Long Lost Family, has conducted 1,320 searches and arranged 887 reunions. DNA technology has transformed the show's work. Ariel Bruce, a post-adoption specialist, has led the search team on the ITV show Long Lost Family for 15 years, conducting 1,320 searches across six continents and arranging 887 reunions. The BAFTA-winning series, hosted by Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall, returns with new episodes on ITV1 and ITVX, featuring cases like that of Anita Rowntree, who is searching for her long-lost brother. Ariel Bruce: The Search Expert Behind Long Lost FamilyOften called the Agatha Christie of the adoption world, Bruce has worked on the series since it began in 2011. She notes that some cases are extraordinary because they raise unanswerable questions about nature and nurture. For instance, two men who worked in the same specialised area of medicine and knew each other from conferences had no idea they were half-brothers.The show has produced many emotional wins. Bruce recalls a woman of 86 finding her long-lost daughter, who was 68, and they finally built a relationship. Such outcomes touch her emotionally.Bruce stepped back two years ago to act as a consultant. Her daughter, Lottie Bruce-Lloyd, has taken over as search team lead.Anita Rowntree's Search for Her BrotherAnita Rowntree was eight when she found a photo of a little boy in her mother's wardrobe while looking for Christmas presents. There were baby tags too. It emerged that her mother, Judy, had given birth at 16. The father disappeared, and Judy met a young man who offered to raise the baby as his own, but he was refused.Anita says her grandmother sent Judy away to a mother and baby home, not wanting to see her until the baby was gone. Judy hated saying goodbye to her son. Later, Judy married the boy who had been prepared to stand by her, and a year later Anita was born. Three other siblings followed.Now, Anita hopes to find her long-lost brother. She says it would be good to let him know how much he is loved, and it would be a weight off her shoulders so her mother can rest in peace. Astonishingly, some answers are just down the road from her, as will be revealed in the episode.DNA Technology Revolutionises Reunions on Long Lost FamilyBruce reflects on the changes she has seen. The biggest has been the use of DNA. In the past, if a foundling asked her to find family, it was impossible, especially when people did not know their birth father. DNA has completely transformed that landscape.Thanks to genetic testing, people are being found. On a personal level, Bruce has resolved searches for foundlings who first came to her at 20 and she could not help. They are now 45 or 50, which she finds quite amazing.Bruce was born in Hampstead, north London, in the 1950s. She was not adopted but was in the care of the local authority for some years and ended up with foster parents she thought of as parents. She became a post-adoption social worker, combining complex searches with logical research and emotional awareness.She already had 25 years of experience when Long Lost Family came calling. She helped set up proper duty of care for people, and the intermediary role is governed by a strict legal framework, separating social work from the requirements of making a TV show.The show changes lives. Recently, a film about a foundling featured her birth father, identified through DNA, who initially said he was not interested. The day after the film aired, he contacted Bruce to say he had watched it and would welcome contact. So things change.Anita's episode, set in south London, shows Davina McCall telling her that her long-lost brother Richard has been found, just seven miles away.