Today presenter Mishal Husain appeals for help to trace stolen portrait of mother

Today programme presenter Mishal Husain has asked for the public's help to find a portrait of her mother that was stolen three decades ago

The BBC presenter revealed that the picture of her mother, Shama, painted by Second World War artist Bernard Hailstone, was stolen while in storage during the 1990s.

She wrote on Twitter: "A long shot .. can anyone help me locate this portrait of my mother? It was stolen while stored in a garage in London in the 1990s and most likely ended up in a skip. But if not – it would be amazing to find it.”

The painting was commissioned by Ms Husain's father, Tazi, a urologist and ameteur painter, between 1978 and 1980.

Ms Husain explained that a garage in which her family were storing personal possessions during a move had been "completely cleared out" by burglars and the painting had not been seen since.

She told the Daily Mail: "I have never forgotten about that painting because it is such a good likeness of my mother as I remember her in my childhood.

"The portrait came up in conversation with her recently and I said that if she could find a photo of it, then I would try via social media to see if it can be found.

"Maybe there is someone out there who bought this painting all those years ago and has always wondered who the woman was. It would be wonderful if it can be found and returned to us."

Hailstone became known for portraits of royalty, including the Queen, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and the Queen Mother. He also painted Winston Churchill, and a number of others engaged in the war effort at home during the Second World War.