The mother of a missing British man today broke down in tears during a TV interview as she was told her son was at a medical facility in Spain six years after he went missing.
Jim and Pauline Green from Sittingbourne, Kent, last saw their son Matthew in 2010 when he told them he was visiting friends in London.
The couple are now set for an emotional reunion after they were informed earlier this month that their son was found alive.
On Tuesday, it emerged the parents were not initially told Mr Green’s precise location by authorities because of ‘data protection’ rules.
Speaking to ITV’s This Morning, they said a staff member at a Spanish medical unit contacted them and invited them to visit him.
Mrs Green, 63, wept in front of the cameras as she discussed the breakthrough with presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
She said: “This person texted me last night and it was a Spanish number. He or she said they needed to contact me.
“They said 'I am trying to send an email, but it's not successful. I sent him my email address and heard nothing, so I went to bed.
“Just after 5am I thought I would see if this person had tried to contact and that's when I saw this email."
Mrs Green added she had considered whether her son may not want to resume contact with her after six years.
She said: “I have thought about that but I have also thought that there must be a glimmer, that he does want us back in his life.
“I think we have just got to cling on to whatever we can, with the hope that he can get better and then we can go from there.”
The couple appeared alongside criminologist Mark Williams Thomas, who has helped them track down their son.
Mr Green became known to Spanish authorities following concerns for his welfare.
Mr Green, 64, said: “It has been a roller-coaster from not knowing for six years. When you get information like this, your emotions are running.
“It just shows you the power of the media and social media.”
