Growing up black in a white family – the truth behind my birth

M People star Andrew Lovell’s home life hid a terrible – yet beautiful – secret. It would take him decades to find out the truth.

At the height of his fame, drummer Andrew ‘Shovell’ Lovell had everything he’d dreamed of: sex, drugs and regular appearances at the top of the charts with the dance music band M People. But sell-out shows, first-class travel and five-star hotels couldn’t stop the questions gnawing away at him. As a mixed-race kid growing up in a white family in south London he wanted to know: who were his birth parents? Why had they given him up? The answer, when it came, was shocking.

A disruptive and unruly child, Andrew was asked to leave school aged 15. He found a trade as a plumber but his true passion was music. He joined M People in the early 90s and by 1995 he was touring the world. The band was celebrating its second platinum-selling album in 1998 when Andrew sat down for a heart to heart with his adoptive parents on Christmas Day. He was 33 at the time, and a star – M People was one of the most successful dance music acts in the world with hits like Search for the Hero and Moving On Up. But deep down Andrew was still a little boy with a big question – to which he was about to get a devastating answer. The revelation of who his real mother was left him reeling and plunged him into a breakdown.

If you are suffering distress and need support, there are details of help available in many countries at www.befrienders.org

Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Hetal Bapodra

Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected.   Got a story to tell? Send an email to [email protected] or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784   You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice