Nine-year-old girl hugs her grandparents after 81 days apart

Nine-year-old girl hugs her grandparents after 81 days apart

This is the heartwarming moment a nine-year-old girl finally hugged her loving grandparents for the first time - after 81 DAYS apart.Cuddly Terri-Lea Cook said she had lost count of the days she'd been away from her grandparents after they were forced to separate following the start of a nationwide lockdown on 23 March. But after 12 long weeks, the little girl finally got to see Tracy and Mike Brown, both 54, who have raised her along with her single mum Samantha, on Saturday (June 13) morning. The speedy youngster is seen in the video sprinting out of the gate as soon as she hears them approaching the street before sharing a warm and tear-jerking embrace. Terri-Lea, from Warrington, Lancs., said: "I missed them lots and lots and lots and lots. "I saw them every day of my life and I didn't know how to feel after not seeing them for so long. "I love hugs and kisses and mummy's hugs and kisses are nice but everyone has a different hug and I missed grandpa and grandma's hugs. "Now I can hug them every day and I'm never letting them go. "I told them we have to hug at least once a day because I don't know if we'll be locked down again and I won't be able to cuddle with them."The tight-knit family never expected to be separated for 12 whole weeks when they first said their emotional goodbyes. Mum Samantha says she burst into tears when the support bubbles were announced - which allowed people from single-parent households to pair up with another household and meant they could all reunite. The 37-year-old said: "We had an emotional goodbye but we didn't know how long it would be - we never expected it to be 81 days. "It's been so hard for my girl because she just wants to hug her grandparents all the time. "When I saw the news about the support bubble I burst into tears. "Terri-Lea was crying her eyes out as well because we both knew we could finally see my parents. "It was the best news we could have wished for."Grandparents Tracy and Mike, live just a street away - barely 60m from their front gate - which made it even more difficult to resist the urge to pay them a visit. Samantha added: "They live right on the next street so as soon as Terri-Lea heard them she sprinted out. "It made it harder really, because they were so close by we had to fight off the urge to go see them. "We are a really close family.

I work full-time so my parents were like Terri-Lea's parents, they spent each day with her, picked her up from school and played together.  "It's just been so different and strange for us, especially for Terri-Lea, and I think we needed this support.  "She had never spent more than a few days away from her grandparents, and not being able to make my mum a cuppa has been odd."Retired nurse Tracy says she couldn't sleep the night before as she knew she'd finally get to see her granddaughter after their "heartbreaking" time apart. She said her eyes were glued to the news each night hoping and praying for a positive announcement. The web designer said: "It was so emotional I didn't sleep at all the night before because I knew I'd be seeing her. "It was dreadful being away, I have been looking after her five days a week for as long as she's been alive. "I was at her birth, I must have been the third person to touch her beautiful head. "She sleeps over all of the time, she's even got her own bedroom.

To suddenly not be able to see her for months was heartbreaking. "I watched the news every night just to see if they'd change things so we could see each other."I missed her singing and dancing so much - she was so playful and joyful."We do a lot of hugging and cuddling in our family and now that we can she rings me each day to ask me to come round for a cuddle."She added: "She told me she wants me to hug her every day because we don't know if we might not be able to again."

This is the heartwarming moment a nine-year-old girl finally hugged her loving grandparents for the first time - after 81 DAYS apart.Cuddly Terri-Lea Cook said she had lost count of the days she'd been away from her grandparents after they were forced to separate following the start of a nationwide lockdown on 23 March.

But after 12 long weeks, the little girl finally got to see Tracy and Mike Brown, both 54, who have raised her along with her single mum Samantha, on Saturday (June 13) morning.

The speedy youngster is seen in the video sprinting out of the gate as soon as she hears them approaching the street before sharing a warm and tear-jerking embrace.

Terri-Lea, from Warrington, Lancs., said: "I missed them lots and lots and lots and lots.

"I saw them every day of my life and I didn't know how to feel after not seeing them for so long.

"I love hugs and kisses and mummy's hugs and kisses are nice but everyone has a different hug and I missed grandpa and grandma's hugs.

"Now I can hug them every day and I'm never letting them go.

"I told them we have to hug at least once a day because I don't know if we'll be locked down again and I won't be able to cuddle with them."The tight-knit family never expected to be separated for 12 whole weeks when they first said their emotional goodbyes.

Mum Samantha says she burst into tears when the support bubbles were announced - which allowed people from single-parent households to pair up with another household and meant they could all reunite.

The 37-year-old said: "We had an emotional goodbye but we didn't know how long it would be - we never expected it to be 81 days.

"It's been so hard for my girl because she just wants to hug her grandparents all the time.

"When I saw the news about the support bubble I burst into tears.

"Terri-Lea was crying her eyes out as well because we both knew we could finally see my parents.

"It was the best news we could have wished for."Grandparents Tracy and Mike, live just a street away - barely 60m from their front gate - which made it even more difficult to resist the urge to pay them a visit.

Samantha added: "They live right on the next street so as soon as Terri-Lea heard them she sprinted out.

"It made it harder really, because they were so close by we had to fight off the urge to go see them.

"We are a really close family.

I work full-time so my parents were like Terri-Lea's parents, they spent each day with her, picked her up from school and played together.

"It's just been so different and strange for us, especially for Terri-Lea, and I think we needed this support.

"She had never spent more than a few days away from her grandparents, and not being able to make my mum a cuppa has been odd."Retired nurse Tracy says she couldn't sleep the night before as she knew she'd finally get to see her granddaughter after their "heartbreaking" time apart.

She said her eyes were glued to the news each night hoping and praying for a positive announcement.

The web designer said: "It was so emotional I didn't sleep at all the night before because I knew I'd be seeing her.

"It was dreadful being away, I have been looking after her five days a week for as long as she's been alive.

"I was at her birth, I must have been the third person to touch her beautiful head.

"She sleeps over all of the time, she's even got her own bedroom.

To suddenly not be able to see her for months was heartbreaking.

"I watched the news every night just to see if they'd change things so we could see each other."I missed her singing and dancing so much - she was so playful and joyful."We do a lot of hugging and cuddling in our family and now that we can she rings me each day to ask me to come round for a cuddle."She added: "She told me she wants me to hug her every day because we don't know if we might not be able to again."