Good Morning Britain star details “traumatic” childhood experience

by

Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including physical abuse of a child.

British television personality Andrew Pierce, who’s known for his work on Good Morning Britain, has shared his heartfelt account of the emotionally challenging time he spent growing up in a foster home.

Born and brought up in an orphanage in Cheltenham, the television host and reporter was later adopted at the age of three in 1964.

What to Read Next

In an episode of the “Suddenly Single” podcast on Best Magazine, Pierce reminisced about his days at the orphanage, describing it as a challenging and difficult setting.

In a recent podcast interview with Siobhan Wykes, Pierce shared that he spent close to three years residing in an orphanage in Cheltenham, which was managed by the Sisters of Nazareth. This institution served as his childhood home.

It seems they lacked compassion, to put it gently, as their surroundings were quite challenging.

Speaking about himself as Patrick, Pierce recounted a distressing incident where the nuns in the orphanage harshly disciplined kids who had bed-wetting accidents.

If you or Patrick had a history of bedwetting, as Pierce stated, it meant that you were subjected to a harsh treatment. This involved immersing you in a steel tub filled with water containing a small amount of bleach. They would then wrap the soiled sheet around one of your legs, hold both your arms outstretched, and pour buckets of water over your head from above.

He went on to explain: “When Patrick ultimately shifted to live with his adoptive parents in a council house in Swindon, the experience was distressing as they washed my hair by pouring water over me. My legs were severely irritated. For months, my mother had to apply cream on them each night.

Speaking about the long-term impact of his time at the orphanage, Pierce shared that he sought counseling once he discovered his biological mother.

He explained that as an adult, he located his biological mother and underwent counseling, which included regressive therapy. During this process, he was guided back to his childhood home. However, the therapist had to halt the session due to its emotional intensity becoming overwhelming for him.

For individuals who are impacted by the issues discussed in this piece, please reach out to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the UK by calling 0808 800 5000 or visiting their website at [www.nspcc.org.uk](http://www.nspcc.org.uk). For those residing in the United States, you can contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at (1-800-422-4453) or visit the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s (ASPCA) website at [www.americanspcc.org](http://www.americanspcc.org).

Read More

2025-05-14 12:02