Gemma Collins has picked an ‘extraordinary baby name’ (Image: BBC/Wall to Wall/Stephen Perry)Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy Notice She’s the most colourful of all the TOWIE stars – and now Gemma Collins has discovered her ancestors were every bit as vibrant. In the latest instalment of Who Do You Think You Are?, Gemma explores her mum Joan’s family tree, which takes her to Dorset Street in East London, the scene of one of Jack The Ripper’s murders. “My family lived there!” says Gemma. “I truly believe my [great-great] grandfather was Jack The Ripper. He’s got to be. He never got caught, did he?! It’s unbelievable.” Not only did The Ripper kill one of his victims on Dorset Street, two others had links to London’s “worst street”.
The show has brought Gemma’s mum ‘closure’
(Image: BBC/Joan Collins/unknown)
Gemma, , 43, found her family was full of characters and was so impressed by her ancestral grandmother Thirza’s dedication to helping her family better themselves by moving to Essex, that she’s decided to name her own daughter Thirza. The star hopes that starting a family will be “the next thing” and Thirza, which means “delight” or “pleasing” in Hebrew, is top of her list of baby names. She says, “I love Thirza, she reminds me of myself.” Gemma has many emotional moments on the show – as she tries to solve a family mystery. Her beloved mum Joan, who has appeared on TOWIE with her daughter, was abandoned at a hospital as a newborn and placed in foster care. Growing up, Gemma has always been aware of her mum’s heartache over being “not wanted”. Now with the help of the show’s genealogists, she’s discovered the truth about why Joan was separated from her mother and has brought the family “closure” after a lifetime of suffering. Sign up to OK’s TV newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
Gemma’s mum was abandoned at the hospital as a newborn
(Image: BBC/Joan Collins/unknown)
“Throughout the years, Mum suffered terribly with feeling that she was not wanted,” says Gemma. “It was a taboo subject. My mum struggled but went on to raise two very successful children, but she’s always held it inside.” After Joan was fostered, she was hit by further tragedy when her foster mother passed away. Joan was just seven. Luckily, her foster mum’s daughter took over and raised her but Joan never understood why her biological mum hadn’t kept her. On the show, Gemma discovers that Joan’s 17-year-old mum was suffering with mental health issues and her baby was most likely taken away from her. Then Gemma meets her mum’s long-lost cousins who have been living a 20-minute drive away for years. “It’s healed my mum. No amount of money in the world could have given her those answers,” says Gemma. “This is the best present I could ever give her. She’s had closure, she’s got the answers that she’s always wanted and that’s been great.” Since the cameras have stopped rolling, the whole family has got together at Gemma’s home and found they have a lot in common. “It was like we’d known each other for years,” says Gemma. “You see it on Davina McCall ’s Long Lost Family, the happiness, the joy and the pain it takes away for people when they’re reunited. This is a real game changer.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnGemma Collins
