So that’s where I got it from! The man of the incredible moment, 27, meets his long-lost brother, 53, after taking an ancestry DNA test to find his biological father who died six years ago
- Rhys Williams, 27, says he is overjoyed after discovering his older brother
- The Stoke-on-Trent lecturer has started tracing his family history ‘for a laugh’
- The brothers meet and say they can’t wait to see each other again
A man who discovered he had a long-lost brother after 27 years has finally met him for the first time – after a DNA test revealed he had a sibling.
Rhys Williams, 27, was nine when his mother died and he discovered the man raising him was not his biological father.
After being told by his cousins, Rhys continued to be raised by his stepfather and tried to find out more about his long-lost family at age 18, but had no luck.
He used a DNA test for fun in January 2022 and uploaded his results to MyHeritage.com, only to find his biological father had died six years prior.
But the results also allowed him to discover he had a long-lost brother, Chris Jones, 53.
Brothers Chris Jones, left, and Rhys Williams finally met earlier this month
Rhys Williams used a DNA test to find his father – and discovered he had a brother
Gwilym is pictured with his own father
After logging in and talking on Zoom, Chris drove two and a half hours to surprise his brother Rhys this month.
Rhys thought his brother had arranged for a videographer to arrive at his house to interview him about his story.
But to Rhys’ surprise, Chris came to his living room.
Chris Jones surprised his brother after showing up on his doorstep in Stoke-on-Trent
Gwilym (pictured), Rhys and Chris’ father, had died six years before Rhys took a DNA test
Chris said: “I drove there and had to secretly message the cameraman to tell him I was there.
“I texted him saying ‘I’m delivering your camera batteries’ and then he came to the door and I walked into the house to surprise Rhys.
“It was a nice moment.”
Rhys, a university professor from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, said: “It was a very different experience for me.
Rhys Williams and Chris Jones joked they had the ‘same nose’ and many common interests
“I had no idea Chris was going to surprise me, but now looking back there were so many clues.”
He continued, “I went from finding out ‘this is your biological father’ to finding out he died and realizing that no one else will be like me.”
“For me it was crazy to then meet Chris who is my blood and who is older. I know I will have very good hair in about 20 years.
Brothers Chris and Rhys say they can’t wait to see each other again next month
Chris and Rhys’ father, Gwilym – who died six years before Rhys took an ancestry DNA test
“It’s like another piece of the puzzle has been filled in. The puzzle started out as a big question mark, but it’s filling up now.”
“It feels like this is the time it was meant to be and now it has happened.”
Chris, a global logistics buyer, from Longcot, Oxfordshire, said: ‘I always knew I was adopted.
“I grew up as an only child. I had very good adoptive parents and a good upbringing.
“But it would have been nice to do all of this about 20 years ago.
“It’s lovely how everything has happened now. I never had a younger brother. It’s a different experience.
‘We get on very well. We went out to dinner after we met and had a nice meal.
The brothers plan to strengthen their relationship and meet again next month.
