TOWIE's Lydia Bright's mother tells of fostering 250 children on This Morning

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Lydia Bright's mother, Debbie Douglas, 52, has fostered 250 children
Debbie and Dave Bright, her partner of 34 years, have fostered for 22 years
Mother-of-four Debbie appeared on This Morning to talk about fostering
Appeared to raise awareness of the 8,600 children in need of foster care

Published: 08:05 EST, 11 June 2015 | Updated: 10:49 EST, 11 June 2015

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It may seem like TOWIE star Lydia Bright's life revolves around designer handbags and fake tan, but in reality there's been far more substance to her upbringing than meets the eye.

Over the past 22 years the reality TV star's parents Debbie Douglas, 52, and Dave Bright have fostered over 250 children, with whom Lydia has shared her home.

Appearing on ITV's This Morning, mother-of-four Debbie explained that despite 'feeling like your heart's breaking' when saying farewell to the many children she's cared for, being a foster mother has been one of the most enriching experiences of her life.

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Describing the emotional turmoil of saying goodbye to her foster children she said: 'It's really difficult. You feel like your heart's broken. I’m not going to lie'

Despite having four children of her own and being foster mum to hundreds more, Debbie insisted she was not the archetypal mother and does not even considered herself to be particularly maternal.

'I was real career girl. I worked for a jeans company and traveled all over the world. I had my first child, Georgia, in my 20s and fell pregnant with Lydia when Georgia was three months old.

'I wanted to go back to work – but that was 22 years ago,' she said.

Debbie, who adopted her her first child, a three-month-old baby girl, in 1993 said: 'I started fostering babies because I love babies. Some babies I picked up at three hours old.'

Normally they go on to be adopted at 18 months or two years old.

Describing the emotional turmoil of saying goodbye to her foster children she said: 'It's really difficult. You feel like your heart's broken. I’m not going to lie.

Lydia Bright's mum Debbie shares her experience of fostering

Super-mum Debbie, pictured with second daughter, TOWIE star Lydia, praised her children for the positive effect they have had on their foster siblings saying foster siblings often 'don’t get the praise they deserve'

But added: 'If you didn’t get attached shouldn’t be fostering. I see it as a part of a journey in their books.

'You always think they are ever going to survive without you but they go on to families who love them equally as you do,' she said.

Debbie appeared on the programme to share her own experiences and encourage others to become foster parents. There are currently 63,000 children in care across the UK but according to children's charity Barnardo's another 8,600 foster carers are still needed.

The super-mum also praised her own four children, TOWIE's Lydia, Georgia, 26, Freddie, 17, and Romana, 11, for the positive effect they have had on their foster siblings.

'The children [foster siblings] don’t get the praise they deserve,' she said adding that her foster children had learnt so much by mimicking the caring behaviour of her own children.

Over the past 22 years, reality TV star Lydia Bright's parents Debbie Douglas, 52, (pictured) and Dave Bright have fostered over 250 children

Speaking via a video message, TOWIE star Lydia said: 'I’m so grateful that I was born to such an amazing mum but some are children are born under hard circumstances.

'I just want to say thank you to her and all of the foster parents out there, you really are angels.'

Many of the foster children Debbie has cared for have come from homes where there has been alcohol or drug use, neglect and abuse.

Debbie's life changed after a chance encounter with a foster mum in 1993 inspired her to do the same.

After assessments and training, she adopted her first child eight moths later, but admitted her partner Dave needed persuading.

'At first he said, "No way in a million years are we going to foster". But I just said, "Lets just try it."

'He hadn’t really heard of fostering and had a pretty rough upbringing.

'Now he’s had a massive influence [on the foster children's lives]. The boys I've fostered say Dave has given them their work ethic. He's been a role model and had a very positive impact.'

Debbie, pictured with Lydia on reality show TOWIE, insisted she was not the archetypal mother and does not even considered herself to be particularly maternal

Asked by This Morning presenter Amanda Holden what qualities you need to become a foster parent, self-deprecating Debbie was quick to point out her shortcomings.

'All four of my children would never describe me as a calm,' she said.

'The best quality you have to have is to be really flexible. You can’t be rigid and you can’t take things on board. You can’t let things get on top of you.

In an interview with Closer magazine last year, Lydia's said that since joining the show in 2010 she's been contacted by many former foster brothers and sisters, many of them now have their own families.

She said: 'Many will even call me or Mum with good news before anyone else' and says she misses the 'happy chaos' since moving out of home three years back.

Debbie told the magazine: 'I think I'll stop fostering when I'm 65, but I'll never be alone.'