Cold Feet star discovers a criminal secret about a family memberGet 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 NoticeIrish actor James Nesbitt and British actress Sarah Parish are set to explore their roots in the exciting new series of DNA Journey With Ancestry. Known for their prolific careers on television, with James’ renowned role in Cold Feet and Sarah’s in Cutting It marking their first encounter, the duo have maintained a friendship for over two decades. Both James and Sarah have weathered the loss of their parents recently, igniting a shared desire to connect deeper with their familial pasts. Sarah reminisces about her mother’s wise words, “My mum always used to say, ‘Life will never give you anything that you can’t cope with’,” reflecting a longing to understand her lineage better, “I so badly just want to dig a little bitdeeper to find out, where did that come from?”.
James and Sarah find out interesting facts about their relatives
James, having lost his mother in 2011 and his father in 2020, expresses a heartfelt wish: “In a way I wish my mum and dad were here to see me go on the journey, but I suppose they will be with me in a sense. But also they’re never that far away, if I look into the album of my memory, they’re there pretty bright.” Admiration flows as Sarah recounts her late mother Thelma’s career as a headteacher, only to discover through her journey that a penchant for education is deeply rooted within her family tree. Sarah learns about a great grand-uncle, eliciting an emotional response, “It’s such a shame my mum is not with us anymore because that would have made her life,” she expresses earnestly, “She would have been so moved.”
James can’t believe it when he hears what one of his relatives got up to
Meanwhile, James faces a mix of disappointment and lack of surprise when he uncovers his great grandfather’s knack for skirting the law, having operated an illicit pub in Ireland in the late 1800s. Their adventure doesn’t stop there, as they later venture to France to uncover more about their ancestry. James’ ancestors who fought in the Battle of the Somme. As they arrive at Ulster Tower and walk through the memorial, James becomes emotional, stating, “I’m literally walking in the footsteps of my grandfather.”
James and Sarah also take a trip to France during the episode
James’ grandfather was held as a prisoner of war, and the final surprise for James is when he discovers that his own father created a written legacy of his grandfather’s experience and donated them to Linen Hall Library in Ireland. “I’m overwhelmed,” confesses James. “The eight year- old boy wondered, ‘Was he a hero? ’ and I’m delighted that that eight-year-old boy is now sitting in front of you finding out that he was indeed a heroic man.” Watch DNA Journey With Ancestry on Wednesday 23 October, 9pm, ITV1Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnCold FeetJames Nesbitt
