Freedom fighter

Dame Jessica Ennis Hill uncovers a story of slavery in the Caribbean

- CAREN CLARK, NATASHA HOLT, JO LEWIS, IAN MACEWAN

As Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill explores her family tree for Who Do You Think You Are? this week, she discovers tales of incredible hardship, but also echoes of her own strength and determination.

The retired heptathlete, who won gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, was keen to find out why, in 1919, her maternal two-times great-grandmother, Maud, left her husband William and their kids, including Ennis-Hill’s great-grandfather Jack.

She was shocked to hear that Maud had mental-health issues, and was committed to an asylum, where she spent the rest of her life.