Shirley Ballas, the Strictly Come dancer, is moved to tears as she discovers that her Métis ancestors were slaves.
The Latin dance champion, who grew up in a subdivision of Merseyside, is surprised to trace her lineage. a Muslim, four times grandmother in Madagascar in the 19th century.
"How fascinating, incredible and small is the world," she says.
Shirley, 57, made these incredible discoveries and other in "Who Do You Think You Are" of the BBC1
It Begins by explaining how her father left when she was only two, and she and her brother were raised by their mother, Audrey Rich.
More More [19659012] As a result, she knows little about the family from her father. "I heard a whisper that I come from a black ancestry," she says. "I'm really curious to discover."
Her journey begins when she returns visit to Barbara, her father's sister, whose father Boxer knuckle at Birkenhead.
Barbara has a photograph of her father George Rich, l & # 39; s grandfather Shirley. He was born in Cape Town in 1866 and came to England in 1901.
The photograph shows George adapted and mustached looking extremely racy – and clearly mixed race.
Traveling to South Africa on a quest for further knowledge, Shirley learns that George's great-grandmother, Caroline Otto, would have arrived from Madagascar at the age of seven to 17, before 1807, the year of the abolition of the slave trade
George Rich (Image Shirley can not be sure that Caroline is from India, Africa or Africa Indonesia, as the slave trade has made Madagascar a melting pot of nationalities.
But she finds that the Otto family has traveled to South Africa.The family ethnicity is described in the documents as being "malaise" – a term used to describe anyone who was non-white and Muslim.
She finds that Caroline's daughter, also called Caroline, later converted her whole family to Christianity. children – including George's mother, Mary – to receive an education through the Angli Church cane
Shirley goes to St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town to meet Father Michael Weeder, who explains that it was common for entire families to convert to Christianity in the 1850s.
Shirley grew up in a subdivision in Merseyside (Image: BBC) "It would be a way to get into society," he says. "Often, the education was based on the church, and she has all these children, so she embraces Anglicanism."
Caroline Jnr worked as a laundress to support her family, who lived in the modest neighborhood of Bo-Kaap
Most of the people who lived there were of Malay origin and were either d & # 39; Former slaves, children of former slaves. "OK, so now we have slavery," Shirley said calmly. "My heart is a bit heavy because I think the workload would have been huge for her."
Caroline Snr's death certificate shows that she died in 1848 between the ages of 50 and 60. Lack of precision is another indicator of his status. As a slave
She made incredible discoveries in Who you think you are BBC1 (Image: Shirley Ballas) Shirley, who has her son Mark with his US salon star Corky Ballas, also learns that the family has almost certainly inherited the name Otto from the family that had hired them for the first time in Cape Town.
A death record for George's sister indicates that his race was "mixed"
"I came to find out if I had a black ancestry," says Shirley.
"J & # 39 I discovered so many things. Brought from Madagascar to slavery, moved to Cape Town, Muslims turning to Christianity – all the struggle of this family and still they survived.
"I like to think that I've inherited something great from these people.These were all strong women who managed to survive."
"It's remarkable I suddenly discovered this legacy which I had absolutely no idea.I am excited by what I learned, and saddened – it certainly looks like life was hard. "[19659038] His great-grandfather Mel Bevan (Image: BBC)
She adds, "I will never forget this trip, I will take it with me until the day where I will die. "
There is also a tragedy on her mother's side, where Shirley unearths the heartbreaking story of her great grandmother Clara Sutton.
Shirley had heard the rumored family that Clara was a fun party girl who ran to America for a better life, abandoning her children and leaving her husband George to die with a broken heart.
But the dancer discovers the truth is very different. In fact, George had died of cancer at the age of 36 and had left all his material belongings to his mother, leaving nothing to his wife, with whom he had three children – including the grandchildren. -mother of Shirley, Daisy
. so they were raised by George's mother. Clara then married Arthur Spidle and moved to the United States with him in 1919.
In 1928, she filed for divorce on the basis of "improper treatment" of Arthur, in which she threatened her life. Documents show that he also deceived with other women.
At the time of her death, in 1946, at the age of 66, Clara was at New Hampshire State Hospital, a psychiatric unit, for 17 years. Syphilis is listed as a cause of her death, and Shirley quickly realizes that Clara has been infected by her husband.
"Without treatment, it can appear as a dementia," says a historian.
Shirley says, "What is it? Sad is that his family has no idea.I am sure that when I share this with the rest of the family, they look at it differently. "
Who do you think you are?, Monday, July 30, BBC1, 9pm. 
