@theherculeannyc: Symon grew up in a children’s home with another child featured in the series, Paul. The only mixed-race child among the original #7up group, Symon never knew his Black father, and his white mother struggled with depression. By 14 Up, he had left the children’s home and was living with his mother, but his early years in care and the absence of his father remained an important part of his story. Perhaps the most moving turn in his story came when he and his wife Vienetta became foster parents themselves—over the years, they reportedly fostered around 300 children, giving other kids the kind of stability Symon himself had lacked. Symon spent much of his working life in relatively modest jobs, including warehouse and forklift work, and has spoken candidly about regretting that he didn’t pursue his education further. Now, in #70Up, his story feels remarkably full-circle: a child who began the series in care ultimately devoted a large part of his adult life to caring for children himself. And one of the friendships formed in that children’s home—with Paul—was still intact more than half a century later. More on him and Paul later. #itv @itv

TheHerculeanNYC

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Saturday 26 September 2026 12:10:21 GMT