Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace returned for series 6 this week, and paid tribute to “respected colleague” Sally Berman.
On Monday (June 10), presenters Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell helped more foundlings get answers. Two cousins – who didn’t know each other existed – attempted to track down the mothers who gave them up as babies.
Thomas’ mum left him in the waiting room of Reading train station in 1965. And the first birth relative the team found for him was another foundling, left on the steps of a Dublin church.
Apart from DNA, all they shared at first were questions, but their meeting soon led to life-changing discoveries for them both.
Episode 1 ended with a tribute to Sally Berman – so who was she? What was her part in the show?

Episode 1 of ITV series Long Lost Family paid tribute to Sally Berman (Credit: ITV1)

Long Lost Family’s tribute to Sally Berman
At the end of episode 1 of Long Lost Family: Born Without a Trace episode 1, a black screen appeared before the end credits. It’s the traditional way to honour a member of the cast or crew who has died during or after filming.
The white lettering on the black background honoured a lost friend to the show. The message read: “In memory of our respected colleague Sally Berman 1957 – 2024.”
Sally was believed to be 66 when she died.
Speaking of the loss, Ariel Bruce told ED!: “Sally was a much revered and trusted member of the search team. We had worked together for many years and she will be greatly missed.”
Who was Sally Berman on Long Lost Family?
Sally Berman was a Family History Researcher, from Cooden, East Sussex.
She worked alongside Long Lost Family’s Ariel Bruce to help families trace people.
Fans of the documentary series will know that Ariel is a qualified and registered social worker who specialises in tracing people affected by adoption. Ariel conducts searches in Britain and all over the world and has successfully traced missing family members for over 20 years.
While Ariel is based in London, she carries out extensive work in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, as well as in many countries worldwide, including the USA and Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
She works closely with her research team on Long Lost Family. Her team included Sally Berman, until her death earlier this year.

Ariel Bruce is the Lead Social Work and Tracing Consultant on Long Lost Family (Credit: ITV1)