John Stephenson returned to bar knuckle boxing at 49 to earn the cash to meet his estranged family. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
John had awoken the previous Saturday morning to a social media message, breaking the sad news that his estranged dad, also called John, had died.<\/p>\n
The message was from sister Colleen, revealing the news that John – who splits his time between Spalding<\/a> and Doncaster – had seven siblings he never knew existed.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a lot to take in, but as soon as I heard, I knew I had to meet them. I was fighting for my new life,\u201d John said.<\/p>\n Refusing to quit in the bloody battle, which unfolded in the open air in Yorkshire, John gave everything; throwing and taking blows until his younger opponent quit the fight.<\/p>\n As his arm was raised in victory, John was bloodied and bruised, but his mission accomplished.<\/p>\n He had won enough cash to board the train and meet his family.<\/p>\n After allowing himself time to recover, he set off on his mission of discovery.<\/p>\n Raised as an only child in Peterlee in the north east, John was still a youngster when his dad left home.<\/p>\n They only met up one further time, at his grandmother\u2019s funeral, when John was a teenager.<\/p>\n But the father and son parted ways with John unaware of the new life his dad had made for himself, or that he had four sisters scattered across West Yorkshire and three brothers on the south coast.<\/p>\n \u201cI had an inking he may have moved on and had more children, but I never knew,\u201d John added.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up as an only child as I didn\u2019t know any different.\u201d<\/p>\n After leaving John and his mum Sue, John snr fathered sisters Colleen, Joanne and Sherrie, before Natasha was born from another relationship.<\/p>\n After moving to Portsmouth he became the father of three more sons, Ashley, Aaron and Josh with his latest partner.<\/p>\n John\u2019s lifechanging message came after his father\u2019s ashes were laid to rest in Durham.<\/p>\n It was after the ceremony when his siblings made a pact to find the elder brother they had heard stories of but never met.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the wake Colleen and Ashley were talking and they mentioned John. Ashley said we should try to find him,\u201d sister Joanne said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was the missing piece in the puzzle. And the next day, lo and behold, Colleen found him.\u201d<\/p>\n Like the rest of the family, Joanne is eager to make up for lost time with the eldest brother, who she lovingly refers to as \u2018the fossil\u2019 of the family.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were told about him growing up, but we\u2019d never seen him or seen any real evidence,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw a photo my dad had when I was about three but as I grew older I wondered was that really him or someone else?<\/p>\n \u201cUntil a month ago, he was like a fictional character that we\u2019d occasionally hear about.\u201d<\/p>\n Joanne had previously found herself compelled to search for John, even landing on his Facebook profile.<\/p>\n But with the homepage filled with videos of John\u2019s achievements – from celebrity car pulls to nunchuck demonstrations – she told herself \u2018there was no way one of my dad\u2019s kids is a martial artist\u2019 before continuing to scroll.<\/p>\n However, there was no doubt left in the mind when the two finally spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cHe looks very much like my late dad, so it was quite daunting,\u201d Joanne recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he\u2019s got the Geordie accent as well.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first saw him on screen, on videocam, I was taken aback. It took some time to digest, but we\u2019re getting on like a house on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n For John, the past few weeks have seen him travelling the country to spend time with his siblings and getting to know his many nephews and neices, also introducing them to his daughters Skyler and Storm.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to have a big family,\u201d John said. \u201cI\u2019m still shocked but really loving it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I read the message from Colleen I knew it had to be true as all the information she gave me about my dad was bang on.<\/p>\n \u201cI was anxious at first, thinking about what they would think of me. But we\u2019ve had a brilliant time and I feel like I\u2019ve known them all my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Growing up without a father has led John to cram his life with a series of weird and wonderful passtimes, desperate to become a role model for his own children.<\/p>\n John trained as a boxer in his youth before moving on to kickboxing, his love for martial arts seeing him write numerous books on the subject<\/a>, even earning the chance to interview Hollywood icon Steven Seagal.<\/a><\/p>\n He landed a role in the movie The Guardian<\/a>, and also saw himself inducted into numerous Martial Arts Hall of Fames<\/a>.<\/p>\n He also holds numerous world records, including one for the Machine Gun Punch, where he landed 300 blows in 30 seconds.<\/p>\n In recent years John and pal Mark Vallint have taken on a number of car pulls<\/a>, with some iconic vehicles including the A-Team van, vehicles used in The Bill and Casualty<\/a>, and the taxi used in hit movie Deadpool.<\/p>\n Doing this has also allowed him to set foot on the sets of Coronation Street and Last of the Summer Wine<\/a>.<\/p>\n John also took on a 24-hour homeless challenge<\/a> in 2021 to raise cash for charity.<\/p>\n His celebrity status has also seen him appear in the spotlight when an action figure of him was created<\/a>, and songs were written in his honour<\/a>.<\/p>\nJohn Stephenson in what he described as ‘fighting for my life’. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
John with sister Sherrie. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
John with sister Joanne and niece Olivia. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
Family members say John Stephenson looked just like his dad, also named John. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
John’s three brothers live in Portsmouth. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
John is getting to know his family, including many nieces and nephews. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
John Stephenson has been inducted into several Martial Arts Hall of Fames. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
John with a world record certificate on the Last of the Summer Wine set. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
John Stephenson. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
John Stephenson with a copy of The Guardian, his debut film. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
John Stephenson pulls the patrol car used in The Bill. Photo supplied<\/p>\n
The next BA? John with the A-Team van. Photo supplied.<\/p>\n
John with the General Lee, the car used in the Dukes of Hazzard TV show. Photo supplied<\/p>\n