'The secret my husband kept from me for over 50 years to avoid breaking my heart'
A woman from Pen Llŷn has managed to trace a family secret that was kept from her for over 75 years. Following an emotional journey, 76-year-old Ann Hughes has discovered that her biological father was an Italian soldier who was kept as a prisoner of war in Wales.
The remarkable story of her family is revealed to Ann and her daughter Sioned in the first episode of a new series of Gwesty Aduniad, which will be aired on S4C on Wednesday, November 27. The series brings together people who have lost contact, or who want to meet for the first time.
In the programme there is an emotional reunion as Ann meets a relative of her biological father for the first time ever. Ann had always believed that the man who raised her was her biological father, until her husband revealed the secret on his deathbed. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.
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Back in 1966, on their wedding day, Ann's mother shared the secret with her son-in-law, who, according to Ann, "swore everyone who knew not to tell me for fear of breaking my heart". The truth came to light five years ago, when her dying husband revealed the secret he had kept for over half a century.
"He was crying so much," Ann recalled. "But I told him, 'there's no need to cry'. He had kept that secret for 50 years. I would give him a big telling off now, I would." DNA test results came back with the unexpected outcome that Ann was half Italian, specifically from the island of Sicily, leading her to one man who was key in trying to unravel it all - her first cousin from the United States, Al Cappello.
During the programme, historical records were able to confirm that Salvatore Conti, a Sicilian man who was a prisoner of war in Wales, was Ann's father. He sadly passed away in 2017 at the age of 96. Mr Conti had been living in Chwilog near Pwllheli for a period of time, before he returned to Sicily. Further records noted that Mr Conti, alongside a wife and two daughters, travelled on a ship from Southampton to Canada in 1954 - six years after Ann was born.
Ann said: "I never thought it would happen - that I have two little sisters." Later on in the programme, Al Capello, who lives in Buffalo in New York, got to meet Ann. Al said: "This has been an odyssey for me - the search for truth, because family is important. I was the first part of the puzzle, I guess.
"This is a touchy subject and sometimes searching for the truth is messy. My hope is that she and my cousin Lina make a closer connection. If I'm going to be the person she uses to get to that point, god bless her, I don't have an issue with it. I'm excited to meet her, I'll tell her all of this and I'll tell her, 'I think your journey might be complete now'."
When they met, Al told his cousin Ann that he was grateful to "play a small part" in Ann's journey. He then added: "When all of this began, I called Lina in Italy and said there's a possibility that there has been a child born that may be related to your father. It was a shock to her system."
Al then went on to explain that Lina had found it difficult to comprehend the news but had messaged him earlier that day saying she'd "imagined she'd like to meet [Ann] one day in person".
At the end of the programme, Al Cappello said he held hope for a strengthened bond between Ann and his cousin Lina. He said: "My hope is that she and my cousin can make a closer connection." Ann added: "It's been a journey - from here to Italy, to Buffalo and back".
You can watch Gwesty Aduniad on S4C on Wednesday, November 27 at 9pm. Or you can watch it on demand via S4C Clic or BBC iPlayer with English subtitles available.
