Strictly's Chris Ramsey makes poignant family discovery

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Chris Ramsey made a poignant family discovery during his appearance on Who Do You Think You Are?

The comedian was the latest celebrity to learn about his ancestral roots on the BBC series, with the star remarking that luck had always run through his family.

After examining both his paternal and maternal ancestry, Ramsey was heartened to discover that his affinity with luck could be traced back several generations, ranging from Georgian-era Britain to the World Wars.

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On his father’s side, Chris discovered that his great-grandfather was part of a famed battalion that fought in the Gallipoli campaign during the first World War in 1915, with his relative taking a bayonet to the cheek.

The family story was that, upon his return from the Turkish region, his great-grandfather was eventually captured in France three days before the end of the war, but Ramsey found that the truth had been twisted somewhat.

It turned out that his relative had been drafted to fight during the Battle of the Somme, but a bout of scabies ruled him out of action, with Chris attributing it to the “family luck.” His great-grandfather was indeed captured, albeit far before the end of the war, and spent the rest of the conflict in a POW camp in Germany.

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On his maternal side, Chris managed to trace his family as far back as his five-times great-grandparents, who lived in London during the 1790s. His five-times great-grandmother managed to give birth twice at General Lying-In Hospital, with entry being dependent on passing medical tests and a lottery with a 25% chance of winning – some luck indeed!

“I’ve got yet another lucky ancestor,” remarked Ramsey at the end of the episode. “I feel like I’m the really lucky one in this story because all of those people survived. You don’t think so far back that your existence is basically built on this massive imaginary house of cards. It’s fascinating and I’ll thank them to the ends of the Earth.”

Who Do You Think You Are? airs on Thursdays on BBC One at 9pm.

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