Reform Senedd AM Catherine Cullen learns she was adopted at age 40

Catherine Cullen was 40 years old when she discovered she was adopted. The revelation occurred during a routine administrative task, not a medical test or a family dinner, but while she was registering a child's birth.

Cullen, who now serves as a Reform UK member of the Welsh Parliament, required a long-form birth certificate for the registration. She had never possessed this specific document before. When the paper arrived, it was labeled as an adoption certificate rather than a birth certificate.

At the time of the discovery, Cullen was already the mother of two adopted children. Her husband is also an adoptee. Her birth parents, who raised her in Cwmbran, Torfaen, had kept the adoption a secret for four decades. Cullen described her initial reaction as calm, though the shock settled in shortly after.

She directed her energy into finding her birth parents. Using her own research, she located them. Cullen has since adopted a third time. She and her husband now raise six children, including three biological children. Two of the children are adults, three are teenagers, and the youngest is nine years old.

Before entering politics, Cullen worked as a science teacher. She left the classroom to stay home with her children, a period she described as one of the most fulfilling experiences of her life. She later completed a master's degree in additional learning needs. Three of her children are on the autistic spectrum, a fact that shaped her professional interest in support services.

Cullen grew up in a Labour-supporting household on a council estate. Her mother, from Tredegar, was deeply political. Cullen noted that her parents were a fantastic influence, but her own political views shifted as an adult. She voted Conservative for a period before watching Nigel Farage and the late Ann Widdecombe. When Reform UK emerged, she decided her political allegiances lay with that party.

She was first elected to represent the Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni constituency in May 2026. Her family, which she describes as large, expressed pride in her election. She now uses her role in the Senedd to address adoption issues.

Cullen stated that adoption is one of the most important things you can do for children. She wants to see adoptees receive emotional support for longer periods. She also advocates for support in locating birth families if adoptees require it. She believes it is up to the adoptee to formulate their relationship with birth parents.

She criticized the current system, noting that children are sometimes left in care for too long. She views adoption through the lens of her own family experience. She said the process is not up to scratch and that there is a lot to do to improve care for parents going through it.