In this episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, reality TV star Gemma Collins examines her family history, with a particular focus on her mother’s side. Collins knows very little about her mother’s family history beyond the fact that her mother, Joan, was fostered as an infant. This topic has always been difficult for them to discuss, but now Joan is ready to share what she knows with her daughter.
Collins pays a visit to her mother’s house, where she learns about Joan’s early life and the limited memories she has of her birth mother. Joan also mentions a cousin named Christine, with whom she lost contact. Armed with this information, Collins sets out to uncover more about her grandmother, Joan Williams, and her time spent in hospitals in Epsom.
At the sites of the former hospitals, Collins makes a surprising discovery: her grandmother had been a patient in two psychiatric hospitals, once at the age of 13 with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and again at 17, just after giving birth to her mother. This leads Collins to seek clarification on the significance of this diagnosis from Dr. Claire Hilton at the Royal College of Psychiatry.
Dr. Hilton explains that schizophrenia was often diagnosed differently in the 1950s and that today, such a diagnosis is rare among young people. She suggests that her grandmother’s diagnosis may have been inaccurate and that societal pressures may have played a role in her mother’s fostering.
Collins also examines her grandmother’s efforts to maintain contact with her mother, as revealed in her mother’s foster records. This knowledge upsets Collins, as it indicates that her great-grandmother may have wanted to be part of her mother’s life but was unable to do so.
Meanwhile, the production team successfully locates Joan’s cousin, Christine, providing Collins with an opportunity to connect with a long-lost relative and gain further insights into her family history.
In an emotional encounter, Collins visits Christine at her home in Dagenham. Christine shares fond recollections of Joan as a young girl and also recalls meeting their relative, Auntie Joanie. Collins is intrigued as she sees photographs of her grandmother and great-grandfather for the first time. She learns that her great-grandfather was named William Williams and resided in Tower Hamlets.
Eager to uncover more, Collins ventures to Tower Hamlets in search of additional details about her great-grandfather and his family. With the assistance of historian Fiona Rule, Collins examines census records that reveal William Williams’ childhood home in Dorset Street, located in London’s East End.
It is noted that during her great-great-grandparents’ residency, the street gained infamy as it was dubbed “the worst street in London” by the Daily Mail, partly due to its association with the Jack the Ripper murders. Collins also discovers that her great-great-grandmother, Thirza, remained in the area after her husband’s death and prioritiwed her children’s education.
Who Do You Think You Are?: Gemma Collins airs Thursday, 26 September 2024, at 9:00 pm on BBC One.
