The latest episode of BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? sees adventurer Bear Grylls discover he has a royal connection that he never knew about. The 49-year-old Londoner is among the latest celebrities to take part in the series, which has already seen The Crown’s Claire Foy and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber uncover more about their family history.
Upon travelling to Kilmun Parish Church in Scotland to see where his great ancestors were buried, Bear finds out he is distantly related to King of Scots Robert the Bruce. Robert led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England and is considered a national hero in the country.
Historian Fiona Watson tells Bear that Robert was his 21x great, great, great grandfather. The Man vs. Wild star, who has three children, discovers earlier that he is also related to Archibald Campbell, Marquess of Argyll. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
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Reflecting on the journey as a whole, Bear says: “It’s been a very moving journey for me. Much more than I thought. My mum always hoped we’d trace our ancestry back to a regal king. We got to a king but it was a king who lived in the mountains and wore a kilt and definitely was kind of rough within. I like that. Robert the Bruce was a wild one.
“But for me it was nice to see that there are traits. That kind of adventure spirit was always there so it’s nice to see that I’m not alone in that. A lot of my ancestors went through that journey as well.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Bear learns more about his paternal-grandfather, Grandpa Ted, who was part of a 'clandestine special forces unit.’ He also finds out about how his other grandfather Neville was affected by the passing of his brother Richard.
In an interview with MailOnline ahead of the episode, Bear said: "I never understood what that family went through but standing in that room where my grandfather and all his siblings would have gathered after their brothers death, it really hit me."
Adding of his great-grandfather Rev Lionel Ford, he said how his "strength became his biggest weakness" when he lost his 16-year-old son. "My great grandfather, as a huge family man, I realised that his biggest strength was now his greatest weakness. He held his son's hand while he was dying, it really whacked me sideways.
"My grandfather would sometimes mention his brother. That pain and loss stayed with him for all of his life but I could never understand where it came from. I knew there was a broken bit of his heart whenever he was reminded about his brother. There was a sadness behind his eyes."
Who Do You Think You Are? airs on BBC One on Thursday, June 15 at 9pm.
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