Gemma The Ripper
Family history is always an interesting dive into the past with many people discovering secrets they never knew belonged to their family, occasionally including the odd famous name.
Some historic figures got about more than others, passing on their genes to millions of descendants.
A 2003 study found 16 million men to be related to Mongol Emperor Genghis Khan while many suggest that every European may be descended from Emperor Charlemagne.
And, if you trace your ancestry back far enough, you’ll probably find some royal ancestry in there along the way.
However, some people have more niche claims to fame, like TV personality Gemma Collins, who thinks she might be related to one of Britain’s most infamous serial killers.
Appearing on the new series of the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?, Collins revealed that she could be related to Jack The Ripper, who was confirmed to have killed five women.
As well as Collins, the new season features Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Olly Murs, who search to fully uncover their heritage.
Collins, who was made famous by reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex told Metro that after looking into her family tree, she was informed that her family had a surprising connection to the famous serial killer.
Jack The Ripper committed terrible crimes near the end of the 19th century during the Victorian period in Whitechapel in London, and was never caught or identified.
Collins recently discovered that her family used to live in the same area of London where the serial killer was active, leaving her stunned.
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She said: “I just think that… it’s kind of just crazy, isn’t it? Like you don’t know he could actually… no one knew who Jack the Ripper was, did they? So he could have been my family.
“Do you see? I mean, it’s certainly not boring.”
She said that her episode might even rival that of Danny Dyer, who discovered that he was descended from William the Conqueror in an episode that won a Bafta.
Collins said: “He was related to a King wasn’t he? Or came from a King. It was great when he found out. The link to Jack the Ripper is something else, for sure.”
The episode explored the ups and downs of Collins’ family history, choosing to delve into her mother’s side of the family.
Collins’ Mum was fostered as a baby and had scarce information about where she came from.
The reality star said that it’s “taken all this time for it to sink in” after gaining “so much fabulous information” about her family.
“It’s just been a real, real eye-opener. Found out so much lovely stuff,” she said.
Collins felt such a strong connection with one of the ancestors she discovered, called Thirza, that she plans on giving her future child the same name.
Collins’ appreciated her time on the show saying that there’s “more to me than just being born at a hospital in Romford.”
