Ipswich family reunited during job interview in Tesco cafe

Steven Wells, 47, was 26 when he agreed to stand in for a colleague who had agreed to meet a candidate for a role to join British Gas.

Her name was Helena Fahie.

"It was just an another day for me really," said Steven.

Steven alongside his brother David, and sisters Helena and Tilly (Image: Contributed)

"We were meeting at a Tesco café in Colchester.

"I walked in, shook her hand and sat down to start the interview."

Halfway through their conversation, Steven received a call.

As he lifted the phone to his ear, Helena's face dropped. 

Her eyes fixated on his hand and, more importantly, the ring on his finger.

"Oh my god," she said.

Steven hung up the call and asked what was wrong.

Steven (right) with his biological father David (centre) and his two brothers David (left) and William (front) (Image: Contributed)

"That ring. Where did you get it from?" she said.

"That's our family's coat of arms.

"We've got a brother we've been looking for for years."

Puzzled, Steven looked at the ring - an object passed onto him at an early age.

"I think you must be mistaken," he said.

"Call your mum and ask her," Helena said adamantly.

Steven stepped outside and phoned his mother, Linda. 

He told her the story and explained what had happened.

His mother simply responded: "Steven, who's your mum? Who's your dad?"

"You're my mum and David's my dad," he replied.

"Well there you go," she said.

Steven and his long-lost brother David (Image: Contributed)

Thinking Helena was mad, Steven returned to the café to thank her for her time.

As he walked back, Helena - who had also phoned her mum - shouted: "Linda is your mum and David is your Dad."

Stunned, he called his mum again and said: "she knows your name mum."

Suddenly, she broke into tears and said: "Steven, I think you're interviewing your sister." 

At that moment, his world changed forever. 

She explained that, prior to his birth, his parents had split for a short period of time. 

Both had started to see other people and it was then that Linda had met a man called Paul Fahie - Steven's biological father.

The ring on his hand had been left by Paul as a keepsake.

He couldn't believe it.

Steven with his biological father Paul and his brothers William and David (Image: Contributed)

For 26 years, he had lived believing he was an only child. 

He stepped back inside and looked at Helena.

"You're my sister," he said.

"You're my brother," she replied.

The pair burst into tears as they embraced one another and the entire café erupted in applause.

"It was incredible," said Helena.

"It was a total coincidence.

"At the time, I was just trying to make ends meet and spotted this job advert.

"If I hadn't applied for that job, if someone else had come to interview me, if he hadn't taken that phone call, then we would never have met.

"When I met him, I felt a real connection with him. But I never expected it would be because he was my brother."

The pair soon got talking and told each other about their lives.

"I've always been fascinated by the military and I tried to apply for the RAF twice but I was rejected because of an issue with one eye," Steven said.

"And my other passion is politics."

Helena couldn't believe it. 

This asserted in her mind that he had to be a part of the Fahie family.

"Flying and politics is in our blood," she said.

Steven's grandmother had been Pauline Gower MBE, a Second World War pilot who founded the women's branch of the RAF's Air Transport Auxiliary. 

A book about Steven's grandmother, Pauline Gower MBE (Image: Contributed)

His great-grandfather had been Sir Robert Gower, a former Conservative MP. 

Suddenly, everything started to make sense.

Steven's love for flying and for politics was hereditary and, to top it all off, his full name was Steven 'Robert' Wells. 

He also discovered his birth certificate read 'Steven Robert Fahie' - but his name was changed at the age of two.

His parents had kept him away from the truth in a bid to protect him from knowing the truth about what happened.

Nowadays, Steven is close with both sides of his family.

He has seven siblings - five sisters and two brothers.

He calls Paul his father and David his dad.

Steven also went on to become a prominent Conservative front bencher in Ipswich Borough Council.

To honour his Grandmother he is taking part in an Arctic Survival challenge next February, raising money for the Royal British Legion.

"We all adore him," said Helena.

Steven and his family (Image: Contributed)

"I love him to bits and I know that if I ever needed him, he'd always be there for me."

"I now feel complete," added Steven.

"I'm incredibly lucky to have both the family that raised me and now my biological family."

"I'm proud of all of them and absolutely love them to bits."