A TRIO of children were moved to tears after a surprise reunion with their grandmother after two and a half years.

Diane Halfacree, 63, left her home in East Sussex and flew to Perth, Australia, to visit her son Stuart and her daughter-in-law Emily.

Stuart and Emily kept Diane’s visit a secret from their children Gracie, 16, Sam, 13, and Lily, nine, who hadn't seen their grandmother for two and a half years due to numerous cancelled trips throughout the pandemic.

Emily filmed as Diane burst through the door, surprising her three grandchildren who ran straight over to give her a cuddle.

The children looked visibly shocked in the heart-warming clip, with their mouths dropped open at the start of her three-week visit.

Gracie couldn't help but burst into tears during the reunion with her grandmother, ,who had travelled more than 9,000 miles to see the family.

Emily, who moved to Perth with her family in 2009, said: "It was amazing to surprise our kids with a visit from their nana after so long apart.

“We live in Australia and all of our family live in England. It had been two and a half years of FaceTime calls and messages, hoping and wishing that one day the world would go back to normal, and we could see each other again. That day finally came.”

She added: “Australia have been extremely strict about letting people in and out of the country due to covid. As such, we have been one of the safest places in the world, but families have suffered through long absences.

"As soon as our premier announced we were opening to international travellers, Diane booked a flight immediately. Our three children are her only grandchildren, she misses them dearly.

The Argus: Surprise reunion as Sussex grandmother is reunited with family after two and a half years Surprise reunion as Sussex grandmother is reunited with family after two and a half years

"We decided to keep it a secret as up until two days before, we still weren't sure if she was coming - if her PCR test came back positive, she would not have been able to fly.

"She arrived at 1AM so she went to bed for a few hours, hence her being in her bathrobe. I was so worried she was going to get seen using the bathroom in the night.

"We woke the children up at 7AM and told them we had a surprise. Their response was so beautiful, I loved seeing them react to her being there."

The Halfacree family said they hope to return to the UK in December for what would be the first Christmas they've spent with their British family in 14 years.