WHEN Doris Stone was reunited with the son she gave up six decades ago, she was like any other proud mum.

And she had more to be proud of than most as her son Syd Rapson is the MP for Portsmouth North.

Mrs Stone, 81, of Riverside Court near Pontypool, was recently contacted by Mr Rapson - and he told her that she was his mother.

Mr Rapson's natural father, also called Syd, was Mrs Stone's first husband, but died after stepping on a landmine while trying to sneak into his military base in Essex after coming back late from visiting Mrs Stone.

After his death, Mrs Stone started a relationship with a Royal Marine and there were difficulties in the relationship between him and her son.

Mrs Stone decided to hand the then three-year-old Mr Rapson over to his natural grandparents to bring up.

That was 58 years ago, now Mrs Stone has come face to face with the son she never knew and the two are building a relationship with one another.

Mrs Stone said: "The first time we met in the summer my stomach was all upside down and I didn't know what to expect, but I think it was the same for him.

"It was lovely to meet him and it's getting better all the time. I went to Portsmouth to stay with him and his wife with my daughter this weekend and we had a lovely time."

Mrs Stone has three children besides Mr Rapson, Graham, 57, and Robert, 52, and Valery Stark, 54.

She said they have welcomed their new brother into the family. She added: "We are all thrilled to have a new member of the family, he is a lovely boy.

"I am getting used to calling him my son but it was strange at first. He looks just like me and my father."

Mrs Stone described the pain she felt giving up her three-year-old child child.

She said: "It was very hard giving him up for adoption.

"I knew he'd have a better life. I never stopped thinking about him but didn't know where he was. I'm very proud of him being a Labour MP."

Mr Rapson said: "When we first met she wouldn't let go of my hand for about five hours, I don't think she wanted to lose me again.

"But it is amazing to find a new family at this time in my life. It's so nice to have a mother again because my adoptive mother died in the mid-1960s, so this Mother's Day was the first time I bought a card in almost 40 years."