A man who grew up in foster care because of an abusive father was shocked when he discovered that his long-lost mother is the world record holder for the woman with the longest beard.

Richard Lorenco, 35, of Kansas was abandoned by his father in a motel room aged 4-years-old. Over the next seven years he was moved around seven foster homes and he says he coped by pretending his mom was a famous rock star. 

In a recent episode of Shocking Family Secrets, Lorenco describes his ‘complete shock’ when he found out that his mom, 64-year-old Vivian Wheeler, was in fact a famous circus performer, who held a Guinness world record for her 11-inch beard.

Six weeks after filing his request with the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Lorenc received a letter saying his biological mother was a Wheeler of Bakersfield, California

The letter also informed him that both his mother and his maternal grandmother had been born with a condition known as hypertrichosis or werewolf syndrome, which meant that even as children they had facial hair.

The letter also stated that his mother had born a hermaphrodite, with both male and female reproductive organs, although as a baby the male genitalia had been removed because the parents wanted a girl.

If Robert Lorenc had a traumatic childhood, it pales in comparison to his mom.

Wheeler’s father had told her to go and work in the field of performing at the age of five years - with a salary of $1,000 per month he sent to the house - because he was ashamed of her.