O CANADA!

KEVIN CLIFTON on crossing the Atlantic to trace the stories of his extraordinary ancestors

- CAREN CLARK

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
THURSDAY, 9PM, BBC1 FACTUAL

Kevin Clifton spent seven years tripping the light fantastic on sequinned spectacular Strictly Come Dancing, where he was fondly referred to as 'Kevin from Grimsby' after the nickname given to him by the show's original host, the late Bruce Forsyth, stuck.

But for this week's episode of BBC1's ever-popular Who Do You Think You Are?, the professional dancer found himself a long way from his Lincolnshire home town as he investigated an intriguing family rumour after his dad, Keith, revealed one of their ancestors was thought to be a First Nation Canadian woman named Matooski.

When Kevin arrived in Canada, he was stunned to discover that the story was true and that Matooski, also known as Nancy McKenzie, was his paternal five-times-great-grandmother.

Here, in an exclusive interview, Kevin, 40, tells TV Times about his journey into the past, and how two big life events made his search even more meaningful...

You turned 40 last October. Did that milestone lead you to think more about your ancestry?

I’ve always been interested in identity. My identity was about ballroom dancing, then I rebelled and became a goth. Then with Strictly [Kevin joined the pro squad in 2013], it all went ballroom again, but also very Grimsby-centric, because everyone called me ‘Kevin from Grimsby’!

As I got to 40, I was like, ‘Now I’m starting to figure out who I actually am and settling into myself.’ So I thought I’d love to know where I came from; family history suddenly seemed interesting.