Sam Thompson's family bombshell as he finds out 'posh' background is totally fake

Marvin Humes discovers his ancestor had a secret second family while his best mate Sam Thompson finds out that his ‘posh’ background is completely fake, in a revelatory episode of DNA Journey.

Close friends since meeting in the jungle on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! two years ago, the loveable pair of presenters are shocked by the discoveries on the ITV hit ancestry show, airing on Thursday. They begin in Jamaica, where Marvin also finds out that he owes his life to a strong woman who made a massive sacrifice. Marvin says: “I’ve got a rich heritage of culture from Jamaica in my family. My grandparents were both born here. My Grandma Ruby and Grandpa Randall moved to the UK when they had just got married. We would eat fish and dumplings and Saturday soup.”

In Jamaica, Marvin finds out that his Great Grandma Blanche was not actually married to his Great Grandfather David James. They had four children, but immediately after the fourth, Marvin’s Grandma Ruby, was born in 1930, David James left. Historian Diane tells Marvin: “A soon as Ruby was born, David James left for a family he had concurrently along with Blanche.” Marvin says: “I know that on my Grandfather Randall’s side, his father did the same thing. His mum ended up in a mental hospital in Jamaica, called Bellevue, where she died.”

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Blanche, however, was not broken. She went into domestic service and worked hard, then stood at the pier at Kingston Harbour in 1958 and waved off Ruby and her husband Randall so they could find a new life in the UK as part of the Windrush generation. Ruby and Randall couldn’t afford the fare for their three children, so Blanche stepped up to care for them, and went back to work to save up the money to send them to Britain. She knew when she waved goodbye to her daughter in 1958, as she set sail to join Randall who left first, that she’d never see her again.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Marvin says: “I can only think of myself as a parent, it’s heartbreaking to think she’d never see her again. Without this happening in 1958, I wouldn’t be standing here today. She’s the reason. All my family back home in England, we all owe everything to her, for that sacrifice she made on this pier.”

Meanwhile, Sam flies into a panic when he is told he has an ancestor who spent time in Jamaica. “It doesn’t sounds good, don’t say it..” he says. However, he is relieved to learn there is no slavery connection. Charles Thompson, his four times Great Grandfather, a Lieutenant Colonel, was posted in Jamaica before being called to Europe where he played a vital role in the downfall of Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo. “Oh my God, I’m so happy, you really scared me, we were all thinking it,” says Sam.

Sam is told that Charles, who was in the 27th (Inniskilling) Foot Regiment, an Irish regiment in the British Army, also took a collection from his regiment of soldiers, donating the equivalent of £5,000 to help starving people. “He was a philanthropist, I’m so proud,” says Sam. “He was a total hero.” Sam also discovers a cousin match in Limavady, Northern Ireland, who happens to live in a massive stately home. “This is mental,” says Marvin. “I feel like we’ve turned up at Buckingham Palace, the Irish version.”

Sam’s long lost cousin, Connolly Patrick McCausland, explains their common ancestor was land agent Robert McCausland, who owned the stately home and also once owned 110 acres of Woolwich, London, where Marvin grew up. “We’re so connected!” says the Made In Chelsea star, adding: “If I ever get married, I’m getting married here.”

Meanwhile, with a castle up the road in Northern Ireland built by a John De Courcy, Sam is wondering if this is also his ancestor - since his surname is actually De Courcy Thompson. Sam explains: “I dropped ‘De Courcy’. One, hard to spell. And two, you sound like a bit of a douche.” But it turns out that Sam is not remotely connected to the famous John De Courcy.

Charles’s son Lesley made up the name De Courcy, giving it to his third son Sydney to improve their social standing. Sam laughs: “We faked it and I’m over the moon. I’ve got a signet ring and it doesn’t mean anything. We just gave it to ourselves. It’s like those people who buy a knighthood just to call themselves sir or lady. That’s us!”

*DNA Journey concludes on Thursday 26 June, ITV at 9pm.

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