Labour MP Caroline Flint: Finding out I was illegitimate left its mark on me

Labour MP Caroline Flint has said it took her years to come to terms with finding out she was illegitimate.

The Don Valley MP revealed she was born to a 17-year-old single mother and has never known who her father is.

She told Radio Times: "I know that, for me, illegitimacy left a mark. For years, even as an MP, I wouldn't talk about being a bastard.

"So many MPs appeared to come from perfect homes, with impressive connections and endless confidence. For years, I kept my story to myself."

Ms Flint, 56, spoke about her childhood as part of a BBC Radio 4 documentary on illegitimacy.

Ms Flint said she found out she was illegitimate by accident when she was ten.

Her mother had married when she was two and Ms Flint discovered a certificate under a bed which stated that the man she thought was her father had in fact adopted her.

Ms Flint said times had changed and there was no longer a stigma attached to being illegitimate.