Joe Swash was left fighting back tears on BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? after an emotional family discovery. The television personality, known for his role as Mickey Miller on EastEnders and winning I'm A Celebrity in 2008, appeared on the show to explore his family history. He was joined by other celebrities in the series, including Zoe Ball and Amy Dowden.
A Journey Through Family History
Joe began his journey wanting to learn more about his paternal lineage, including a potential connection to the Italian mafia. However, he uncovered a far more inspiring story. Early in the episode, he opened up about losing his father at a young age: 'I lost my dad when I was quite young. He was quite young, only 39. I was only 12. When my dad was alive, my house was full of life and laughter, and then when my dad died, for a long time, it was a house full of sadness and grief.'
He also discussed his struggles with dyslexia and ADHD, which were not diagnosed until later in life, and how he was often misunderstood as a child. 'Growing up in London, I was quite vulnerable, not having a father figure, and I had dyslexia and ADHD that wasn't diagnosed so I do struggle when I read something. A lot of the time I was misunderstood as being quite naughty and mischievous.'
Uncovering a Heroic Ancestor
During his exploration, Joe discovered a remarkable link between his great-great grandfather, Giuseppe, and suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst. Giuseppe was deeply committed to activism and the Communist Workers' movement during the 1920s, fighting against fascism after Mussolini's rise to power in 1923. Hearing of his ancestor's work, Joe said: 'It really does fill me with a great deal of pride to think that he was struggling through life anyway, being Italian, living where they were living, but he was still concerned about what was happening in the world and fascism.'
Joe was further moved when he read a newspaper cutting from the time containing his great-great grandfather's own words: 'If we desire peace, we must organise against this brutal system. We must abolish the greed of gain and unite in serving our neighbours. When we do that, armies will no longer exist. There shall be no bloodshed, joy and happiness shall be supreme and humanity will be the flower of spring.'
The TV star was reduced to tears, admitting: 'I think it's beautiful. I'm a bit more emotional than I thought I'd ever be about my relatives, I thought I could detach myself but there's something quite touching about reading something.' He added: 'I thought my grandad was illiterate because he signed everything with a cross, so even if he was illiterate, he wasn't stupid.'
The historian on the show noted that Giuseppe's actions were brave, as he put himself at risk by publicly opposing fascism in London's Italian community. Joe tearfully added: 'It's very brave, he's a good guy. It's nice to know that I've got a little bit of him in my DNA.'
Reflections on Family and Life
Joe also opened up about his own family life with wife Stacey Solomon and their five children, describing it as 'chaotic.' He explained: 'My life is quite chaotic. My work is quite chaotic, it can take me all over the place and the hours are erratic. And when we get home, we've got five kids to look after. So every now and then, I don't do it enough, I like to go fishing. I'd say fishing is only 30% of it. The other 70% for me is chilling out next to the water, being a bit close to nature.'
Reflecting on his journey, Joe concluded: 'The more I hear about my great-great grandad Giuseppe, I'm just so proud and honoured to have him as one of my ancestors. This is a man that has come over from Italy with nothing. Started at the very bottom, and through all the trials and tribulations, he still had the passion to get up and speak his mind, even though he knew that would probably put him in danger, just shows the sort of man he was. I started this journey thinking, what is my story going to be? Have I got a story, is it going to be interesting? Not in a million years would I have thought I'd be related to such a legend.'
Who Do You Think You Are? airs Tuesday at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
