‘Our Families Had A Sense Of Adventure'

In an exclusive interview with TV Times, Ant and Dec tell us about the amazing discoveries they made while tracing their family trees

- Caren Clark

Very few TV stars have such an easy rapport with viewers that they feel like part of the family. But ever since Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly first appeared on screen together in children’s drama Byker Grove back in 1990, we’ve welcomed them into our living rooms as if they were our favourite fun-loving cousins.

Now, the Britain’s Got Talent and I’m a Celebrity… hosts are exploring their own family trees in a moving new ITV documentary, Ant & Dec’s DNA Journey.

The two-parter sees historians and genealogists examine the pair’s DNA to uncover stories about some of their remarkable ancestors, as well as lead them to living relatives they never knew existed.

‘I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to historical events, so to get the chance to research our family history using our DNA was too good to pass up,’ says Ant, 43.

‘What we find out is mindblowing. It’s something that will stay with us both forever.’

The documentary follows the Geordie best friends as they travel across the UK, Ireland and America, and even pay a visit to the United Nations headquarters in New York City, to learn about their family connections.

While Ant hears that his great grandfather was a celebrated war hero, Dec meets a host of American relations, including a former US female wrestling promoter. They are also stunned to learn that one of them is descended from royalty and that another ancestor’s bones are of historical importance.