Acclaimed actor John Simm’s life has taken a stunning turn following revelations from the new ITV series DNA Journey With Ancestry, leaving him reeling with the realization that “everything I thought I knew wasn’t real.” The Life On Mars and Doctor Who star, 54, originally joined the show to assist his friend and fellow actor Phil Glenister in exploring their family histories. However, Simm’s journey unearthed shocking family secrets that he never anticipated.
While undergoing a DNA test as part of the show, John was blindsided by the news that his dad was not his biological father. “So, to cut a long story short, the DNA results came back, and my dad, he’s not my dad,” he revealed, grappling with the implications of this discovery. The show begins with John recalling an email exchange with his mother, Brenda, prior to his DNA test, which was filmed last year. His father, Ronald Simm, had passed away in 2015.
John recounted the history of his parents, explaining that they were young and separated at the time of his birth in the 1960s. “I’d never heard this story before,” he admitted, describing a conversation with his mother where she disclosed that a doctor had reassured them about the timelines surrounding his birth. However, the shocking DNA results revealed otherwise, leaving both John and his mother, Brenda, in disbelief.
As the journey unfolded, John and Phil ventured to Featherstone in Yorkshire, where they met a historian who disclosed information about John’s biological father, Terence, who tragically passed away in 1998. John was astounded to learn that Terence had once lived in the same area and frequented the same working men’s clubs where John performed as a teenager.
Reflecting on this eerie coincidence, he shared, “The thing that blows my mind is that me and my dad played around here loads of times. He might have been in the same pub one night and watched me play.” The revelation deepened when they met a local club steward who informed John that his biological father had lived above a working men’s club with his parents.
As John continued to piece together his family history, he uncovered even more poignant details about Terence, including that he had a daughter, John’s half-sister Karen, whom he never knew existed. The emotional journey was marked by moving scenes as John absorbed the significance of these newfound connections, providing him with a sense of closure and understanding that had long eluded him.
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