Why was pop star Lulu's mum abandoned by her parents?

Pop star Lulu has always wanted to get to the bottom of a family mystery. She knows that her mum, the middle child of seven, was the only one to be given up by her birth parents and raised by another family, but she has no idea why. Lulu travels home to Glasgow, where she uncovers the real-life Romeo and Juliet story of her Catholic grandfather and Protestant grandmother's love affair across the city's strict sectarian divide. Digging deeper, she discovers some dark secrets about her grandfather's past which force her to reassess what she thought she knew about her mum's story.
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[@audreygreen404]

The first lady who took Lulu mum is my great gran mother. She was a war widow. Both her husbands were killed in the first world war. She had one child to her first husband then married a widower and they had 5 other children. He fought all the way through the war. Was wounded three times. Then died of spanish flu in France while waiting to come home. The McDonald were related to her. So she was in touch with the family her whole life.

[@haddockpaddock]

That's wonderful to know! Thanks for adding the info.

[@countessAugusta]

H a ve you contacted Lulu to explain the circumstances? Im sure she d be interested

[@rachelm2041]

I believe that it is important to learn about your family history as much as possible. Because it helps to better understand family members and why they turned out the way they did. We all have struggles in life, but for some others they had to face extremely difficult situations. Everyone deserves to know the truth about where they come from.

[@alexandraalberti5029]

I completely agree

[@brigidsingleton1596]

I agree too. I was raised from birth to six years old by my then single (divorced) Mum, living with her parents... Aged six, we moved to my Mum's man friend's house (he was a widower) and they married s few months later and stayed together til his death a week before Christmas 1980... (I was 27 then) At first, I got on with my stepdad okay, but later, I came to despise him (no need to explain why, just to say I did not mourn his passing). I stayed with Mum off and on between working away from home periodically til I got married (aged 33) but I never knew, or could find out who my real father was... All I knew was that Mum's first husband ("a fisherman from The Netherlands") was my - older, by nearly nine years - half-sister's father, and at my birth, I was Registered in her surname, _not_ my biological father's name. Mum wouldn't tell me - or my sister - who my real father was - only that "he was a 'civil servant' and more intelligent than * _your_ * (*my sister's*) father!" (Somewhat unkindly, I thought) So, _that_as 'they' say, is that!!🤔😐

[@onemuckypup9823]

I had heard how awful and domineering our paternal grandmother was, but was not given much context around her behaviour. We'd heard that she didn't consider our mother 'worthy' of our father - this lead to our parents emigrating to Australia to get away from her. It has only been fairly recently that I found out just how awful our grandmother was and was horrified. The effect that her nastiness has had on our family crosses generations. It certainly goes a long way to explaining why our father was the way that he was. It is both sad and enlightening.

[@annbeirne9583]

My heart ached for Lulu, what a shocking thing to find out, luckily her mother had good carers finally. It sounds like her mother never lost the sadness of abandonment😪💔

[@ashleywilson9205]

Same here

[@is_a_verb]

Prof Kenneth Nory's accent is the best thing

[@Albanach-je1nk]

He sounds like an English man trying a Scotish accent

[@neilevans4352]

@@Albanach-je1nk you hear a very similar accent in west and north wales and in ireland so definetly not an englishman trying to be scottish.

[@scarletred8888]

It’s unreal ! Rolls his r’s more than Spanish speakers !

[@ermaek2145]

My thoughts exactly! I've never heard an accent like that and I love accents!

[@MaryFont62]

He is from Aberdeenshire and his surname is from that area. ​@Albanach-je1nk

[@norawhite6612]

Lulu, thank you for the joy you spread with your voice. Your Mum did a great job on raising you.💕🇮🇪

[@MeMeDaVinci]

I find it wonderful and fascinating that records are kept and cared for. Genealogy is fun, especially when you find a tidbit that you didn't know ...

[@danielamicallef9592]

Tough seeing Lulu in tears. Our past follows us. Learning the facts is sometimes hard. All the best Lulu!

[@SluttChops]

Does it make you want to shout?

[@juniperjane9582]

And what about the three kids they kept? I'm guessing they had a way worse life than lulu's mum x

[@MaryBrown-cn2uu]

I served Lulu's mum wen I was working in Chelsea girl boutique argyle street she was with Edwina. Wot a delight I got to see them in 1972. ♥️

[@carolburke9153]

What a lucky chic you are.

[@MaryBrown-cn2uu]

@@carolburke9153 why thanku 😄

[@ttp436]

Very sad. Hard times especially when the parents weren’t stable. Lulu is lovely. Bless her mum.

[@ruthmeb]

"Disposed of " didn't mean what Lulu imagines. It just means " how this matter was handled." As for willy nilly having babies, contraception was virtually unavailable and almost unknown amongst the working class at the time

[@alexandraalberti5029]

I had a fear of abandonment. That fear came true.

[@carol.luna.stella]

God bless you Lulu! This was very moving.

[@beverlyshane8433]

My English granddad was an orphan in the late 1800’s. He joined the Royal Navy at a very young age (probably lied about his age). He made a career in the RN luckily he got out of the poverty that way.

[@kholden2678]

Orphans in good standing as in not in trouble with the law, were allowed to join the Royal Navy Cadets. My great uncle lost his parents in 1902 and 1906. After joining the Royal Navy Cadets the training he received led to a 12 year career in the Royal Navy.

[@stephtimms1776]

@ 3:55 It may help to remember there was no birth control back then and having more than one or two children wasn't frowned on, quite the opposite.

[@joyce7892]

However, had they used birth control, we wouldn't have had the pleasure of ever hearing or watching Lulu since her mother would not have been born.

[@stephtimms1776]

@@joyce7892 Good point!

[@traceyholt8223]

Also many men "took what they needed" for their sexual needs with no thought of the consequences and many women didn't have a choice.

[@stephtimms1776]

@@traceyholt8223 That still happens in some families and cultures, sadly.

[@EndeavoursRadio]

Both my grandmothers were orphans. My British Granny went through something similar but worse than this...

[@Gardengirl4]

I wonder what kind of life the other siblings had? I'm sure it was probably worse, sadly, I felt Lulu's pain. it's indescribable.

[@ImsunaSong-gw2gs]

Oh I love Lulu!!❤❤❤ to sir with love touched my heart. Lulu's voice amazing.

[@Sarabrenton-ri1mj]

Saw lulu at a concert in the park theirs no dought.lulu can sing she could knock any of today's pop people right off the stage she's great still got it lulu.brilliant !!!

[@gillianlee8514]

Lulu used to have a thick Glaswegian accent. In the 60s she had to go to elocution classes. This is why she speaks the way she does. There are still smatterings of a Scottish accent in there.

[@SluttChops]

Barely. Only a hint of one. She sounds English.

[@sarahprice1375]

Yes I remember her voice in the 60s. Very coarse

[@Beruthiel45]

Nothing coarse about a regional dialect accent. It's normal all over the British isles and is a historical record of past events. @@sarahprice1375

[@findingmybliss5713]

I don't think that she doesn't sound Scottish- it's not a thick accent but still distinctly Scottish

[@alexandrapomeroy8050]

Lulu, never ages, looks great.

[@shgil7627]

My aunt Dorothy always talked about Lulu’s mum. They would have been a similar age and from similar backgrounds.

[@carokat1111]

Very sad

[@helendancelot]

I dont think lulus grandparents had much control about having babies...

[@tonifitz6831]

There is a lady who lives below me, who claims she is Lulus cousin. I have no reason to not believe her.

[@Ponkelina]

Has she seen this programme?

[@tonifitz6831]

@@Ponkelina I am not sure. I will ask her.

[@JANICEFALKNER-d2l]

Probably The War & Lack Of Money.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

there was no war in the '20s

[@herediafamily]

@@Marcel_Auduboncorrect, but WW1 hadn’t been over for very long at that point. It might not have been because of the war, but it is a possibility.

[@nicolad8822]

⁠​⁠@@Marcel_AudubonThere were plenty of war widows and a lot of unemployment and poverty. A General Strike.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

@@herediafamily hadn't been over very long? she was born in late '27, almost a decade after the Armistice - ever heard of the roaring '20s? it was famous as an era of economic prosperity ... for those not in jail

[@herediafamily]

@@Marcel_Audubon I heard the year wrong then. Thank you for bringing it to my attention 🙂

[@philipcochran1972]

Many poor married women in the early 1900s had no choice about getting pregnant by their husband.

[@marleneclough3173]

And many later too. I worked in the early 60's eith a man whose Mum died after visiting an illegal abortionist because her husband my colleagues father refused to abstain from what in those days were called 'marital rights' and she found herself oregnant yet again and already had more children than they could afford to feed, so he grew up without a Mum only found out when older

[@JenniferAdair-lj7ic]

I DID NOT KNOW THIS ABOUT LULU I THINK I WAS BORN IN ABERDÈEN SO WAS ANNIE LENNOX IN 19554 HAPPY BIIRTHDAY CHRISTMAS DAY❤❤❤❤❤❤😂❤❤

[@paulwhitehead1581]

Lulu is so lovely!

[@SB-iz8sz]

Lulu looks amazing and she is wearing heels👍

[@S.C-s7g]

U had 3 kids gave the 4th away and had more kids after smh

[@VMM34]

I wonder why the other siblings weren't removed, or who looked after them if they stayed in the family? This video is so frustrating that I wished I hadn't bothered.

[@juliewillard1367]

Lulu’s accent changes constantly sometimes southern English sometimes Scottish.

[@manichairdo9265]

Mine does, too. I left Scotland 55 years ago. Lived in America and England. When I'm in Scotland, the Highlands, I speak as if I never left. I also write in Scottish. But elsewhere, I obviously speak so I can be understood. Some people do detect a slight Scottish accent. Actually, in the 50's, our headmaster told us we couldn't use Scottish or Gaelic words in class because the world was opening up to us all. No more: aye, nuh, cannae, winnae, didnae, fasch, fit - what. Spicen - speaking. Cloot - cloth. Ye - you get the jist. 😅

[@Sparkle345jk]

Sad. Lulu was clearly very close with her mum & clearly her mum did not repeat history and she sounds like she was happy.

[@carolwardropper5521]

On paper it reads badly..but times were hard back then, who knows what was going on in the family household.

[@helendancelot]

Sounds like the grandparents had a number of bad things happening. The father went to prison..did he do something to try to provide for his family?

[@Sparkle345jk]

Prince Phillip had something similar and his sisters were kept by the family and the similarity is that the people that did raise them, did a phenominal job.

[@martinataylor7702]

Lulu has always come across as a person that would never do anything wrong. You know just a nice person. But I have to say I didn't feel that when it all came out that her friend ( and a close friend) Lulu dated her friend's husband. To me ex husband ex boyfriend friends don't do that . And then when you're doing interviews and your friend's name is brought up you pretend you don't remember. And this is true they were best friends you just don't do that sorry girl code

[@helendancelot]

Was the husband her friends ex when they dated or did it happen when they were together..I think that makes a difference

[@lindaashford7187]

Lulu seems to have taken her grandparents surnames, Kennedy Cairns …

[@marthal8862]

His accent is driving me insane.

[@lynnetancock8204]

Don't listen then

[@normaredman2198]

I like his accent and the insight and knowledge that he adds.

[@heartshapedisle]

It's in Scotland.

[@yvetteking7749]

But he speaks very clearly. I can understand everything he says. Lovely. In addition, he is rather knowledgeable.

[@micheletorimaru9348]

I love all Accents e specially Scottish and Irish

[@kaysmith2847]

What was your mother like, Lulu? 0:30

[@lisaainsworth3]

My great aunty went to school with her and they have similar name lol she is Marie McLaughlin and my aunt is Marie mclachlan

[@CURRENTCHAOSMEDIA]

My grandad met lulu as a child.

[@srobinson4070]

The best interest of the child

[@philthycat1408]

Prrrroffessorrrrrrrr Kenneth Norrrrrry.

[@lynnybee6328]

She abandoned her Glaswegian accent 🤣🤣

[@JohnLester-be8nv]

Two strange accents - neither Glaswegian - which one is more ridiculous?

[@tolowreading6807]

Why would you refer to an accent as "ridiculous?"

[@JohnLester-be8nv]

@@tolowreading6807 The dictionary defines the meaning of the word ridiculous as 'deserving or inviting derision or mockery' - I rest my case.

[@tolowreading6807]

@@JohnLester-be8nv Fair enough.

[@garyh5541]

Who cares???

[@lydialily846]

Lulu should have !

[@williamf4544]

Lulu told me to tell you to get stuffed and she says your a Bampot

[@Myplop]

It’s interesting so ye I do

[@lydialily846]

@@Myplop ????