It had previously been revealed that Maria was adopted at the age of three, after she was found abandoned as a baby in a ladies' washroom at Kew Gardens. Even when she was old enough to do so, Maria never tried to trace her birth parents; as far as she was concerned, her adoptive parents were – and always would be – her mum and dad. However, fate took the decision out of Maria's hands in May 2008, when her biological mother, Alex Deacon, was admitted to Holby City Hospital. Although Maria did not tell Alex who she was, she did convince Alex to have a life-saving operation. Alex told Maria about the baby she abandoned.