Heather Gofton, 53, of Cleadon Village, said adopting a child from abroad was the best thing she has ever done.

Ms Gofton adopted her daughter Ella from an orphanage in Shenzhen, southern China, eight years ago.

Ms Gofton, headteacher at The Drive Community Primary School in Felling, said: "Since I adopted Ella, I haven't had a moment's regret. It's been all I imagined and more.

"Where the children are from is irrelevant. It's a wonderful thing to do, and I would recommend it for the right person. It's the best thing I've ever done.

"Any child who manages to have a loving, safe and caring home is a good thing and I think Mr Miliband is doing a great deed by adopting his second child."

As the Gazette revealed yesterday, South Shields MP Mr Miliband and his wife, Louise, are delighted about adding baby Jacob to his family.

Jacob is the second son which the couple have adopted from the US. On Christmas Eve 2004, they returned with Isaac James, whom they watched being born 11 days earlier.

Ms Gofton added: "I wish Mr Miliband every bit of joy I've had with Ella over the years.

"People always say the child is the lucky one, but I think the parents are the lucky ones."

In her mid-30s, unmarried Ms Gofton had approached her local authority to see about the possibility of adoption. The only choice she was offered was a disabled child.

Although the desire was still there, she forgot about adopting until she read an article about China's one-child policy.

With a population of 1.3bn, China is the most populous country in the world and introduced its policy in 1980 to halt the population growth.

As a result, thousands of babies grow up in orphanages, often in poor conditions.