© Rex Features
Davina McCall, who presents alongside Nicky Campbell, spoke ahead of its premiere about the joy of reuniting families and her tricks for keeping a dry eye.
Why do you think Long Lost Family has struck a chord with viewers?
"It's about relationships and love and fear and forgiving. It doesn't matter whether you've lost somebody or you're trying to find somebody, or if you weren't adopted, we can all relate to those feelings.
"I think even if we can't necessarily relate exactly to the story, we can all identify with what that person is feeling or going through and it's in all of us."
The stories featured in Long Lost Family are very moving. Do you use any tricks to keep your emotions under control?
"When you are sitting with the person waiting for news, they are very nervous and they don't want to be worrying about whether I'm OK. I have to pinch myself to keep on track for them and actually it's quite a stressful thing, trying to find the right time to tell them.
"While I'm sitting down having a chat with them I'm thinking to myself is now a good time or not, are they in a good place to give the news? You can't really check before any news is revealed, so often I'm thinking a lot. Sometimes the reactions take my breath away, and I have to pinch myself under the table to keep it together!"
Which stories from series two have stood out?
"Every single story is my favourite. It's so joyous giving that sort of news and even when it's not 100% joyous because sometimes we give bad news as well as good news, at least people get answers.
"Sometimes these are questions that they've asked all their lives. Where do I come from? Who am I? What am I? Why do I look like this? Who do I look like? We can give them the answers to these questions. Every story is a winner.
"We reunited a lovely lady called Stella with her daughter and when I told her the news her daughter had been found, it was a very intense moment. It felt like she was overcome with such extreme feelings of guilt, it was like she was grieving."
© ITV / Wall To Wall
On a personal level, can you relate to any of the stories in the new series?
"We met this lovely lady called Maureen from Liverpool. Her mother had left her when she was little and obviously that side of me really related to her. She had an extremely tough life because her dad hadn't been able to take care of her and she went into care. I don't want to give away too much of her story but I particularly loved talking to her and felt that I uplifted her.
"It's quite intense when you share a moment like that with somebody. Nicky's going through all those emotions almost every five minutes at the reunions where he relives his moment finding his mother."
What advice would you offer to viewers at home who might be inspired to trace a family member?
"I really hope that people feel that this programme deals with their issues in a very sensitive and tasteful manner and because of that I hope that it encourages more people to come forward and help us find their families.
"We had so many applicants this year and as we build up trust with the public, they'll start knowing that if they do come to us, we will deal with their search very sensitively."
How have you found working with Nicky on series two?
"I love Nicky. We have these amazing moments when we hook up in a café somewhere or in the car after the reunions. It's always lovely to see him, and hang out with him and it's always really nice to hear his side of the story.
"Sometimes he'll call me and say there's a really amazing story, I've just been here and spoken to this person, tell me what happens from your side when you do it. It's been great getting to know him actually, he's such a lovely guy and fiercely intelligent."
© ITV / Wall To Wall
Why do you think people feel that overwhelming urge to reconnect with missing family members?
"Sometimes it's just over a misunderstanding or someone's left and some tragedy has stopped them being able to contact that family again and it's uneasy not knowing why somebody has disappeared, or in the case of adoption, it's helping to find the person's self. Where do I belong? Who am I? This is a question we often come up against. Why do I look like this? What are my roots? Where have I come from?"
Have you done any travelling abroad on this series?
"I'm always with the person that's looking and Nicky's with the person's that's been found and these people can be anywhere in the world. This time round we've had South Africa, America, Europe. Nicky has a crazy schedule to keep to with long haul flights, filming then coming straight back home, he doesn't get to do any sightseeing."
What would be your highlights of this series?
"We filmed one last week with a guy called Peter and his mum Elsie and they have a five-minute no speaking hug. I kept thinking 'They're going to speak soon, they're going to speak soon' but they didn't, they just carried on hugging.
"Also, telling Stella we had found her daughter was one of the most memorable moments and sharing that experience with her was very special. There's a lovely girl called Naomi, and what was special about her was she was so young. She was 26 and we were looking for her dad and I think for somebody that young to apply is quite a brave thing to do."
Why should viewers tune in to Long Lost Family?
"This programme makes us all feel something. It's full of hope and joy and Lord knows in these times, we all need a little bit of hope and joy."
Long Lost Family begins Thursday (April 12) at 9pm on ITV1.
