Grant Denyer broke down in tears after learning about his family’s dark history on Tuesday night’s Who Do You Think You Are?
The 43-year-old TV presenter was horrified to discover that several generations ago, there was an instance of abuse between two of his ancestors.
A clearly emotional Denyer said he felt ‘sick to his stomach’ upon learning of the scandal on the SBS docuseries.
Shocked: Grant Denyer broke down in tears on Tuesday night after learning of his family’s dark history on Who Do You Think You Are?
During the episode, an historian told Grant that his ancestor, Mary Ann Langley, was once imprisoned for having burned down the family farm in Adelaide.
While examining an old newspaper story that covered the trial, Grant learned that Mary’s father, Grant’s great, great, great grandfather Charles, had impregnated his eldest daughter and that the pair shared a six-year-old son.
Mary admitted at the time of her arrest to committing arson out of revenge for her father having ‘ruined’ her.
Hard to hear: The 43-year-old TV presenter was horrified to discover that several generations ago, there was an instance of abuse between two of his ancestors
Heartbroken: Breaking down, Grant said ‘I guess I just hoped for more from my kind’
Grant was further taken aback when he learned Mary was sentenced to five years in prison for her crime, while her father got off scot free.
‘There no justice in it,’ said Denyer. ‘That makes me feel sick to my stomach.’
Reflecting later on his family’s dark past, the TV presenter said, ‘I feel angry towards Charles.’
Breaking down, Grant added ‘I guess I just hoped for more from my kind’.
Tough news: He also didn’t know how he would break the news to his ‘proud family’. ‘How do I tell my dad that story?’ mused the emotional former race car driver
He also didn’t know how he would break the news to his ‘proud family’.
‘How do I tell my dad that story?’ mused the emotional former race car driver. ‘That’s not what he grew up knowing.’
In a subsequent interview, Grant admitted learning about the ‘horrific’ incident has led him to want to fiercely protect his wife and daughters.
‘I’m so deeply aware that my whole purpose on earth is to make sure that they are safe and protected and they feel loved,’ he told Yahoo on Monday.
Past: Grant Denyer revealed that a ‘horrific’ incident in his past has led him to want to fiercely protect his wife and daughters, which will feature in an upcoming episode of the SBS show Who Do You Think You Are? Pictured on the program
‘You want to be proud of who you are and be proud of your lineage but when you find someone who’s committed horrific acts, it makes it very hard to be proud of.
‘It’s very hard not to feel responsible in some way but you can’t be responsible for the acts of your ancestors,’ he added.
Grant and his wife Chezzi have three daughters, Sailor, 10, Scout, five, and Sunday, five months, and he becomes quite emotional in the SBS special, insisting that his girls are better than him in every way.
Emotional: The former game show host, 43, discovered a female relative had suffered ‘harrowing, heartbreaking’ domestic abuse, four generations back in his family
Protector: ‘I’m so deeply aware that my whole purpose on earth is to make sure that they are safe and protected and they feel loved,’ he told Yahoo on Monday. Pictured with his daughters
The TV star recently discussed his highly publicised painkiller addiction, which began after breaking his back during a freak monster truck accident in 2008.
On Tuesday, he revisited the traumatic period as he announced he’s teamed up with the charity Carers Australia to help give advice to those who are caring for a loved one managing severe pain.
‘I’ve been open in the past about how awfully embarrassed I am about the crazy things I did and said while trying to navigate [opioids],’ Grant wrote in a post on Instagram.
Family: Grant and his wife Chezzi have three daughters, Sailor, 10, Scout, five, and Sunday, five months, and he becomes quite emotional in the SBS special, insisting that his girls are better than him in every way. All pictured
‘We can laugh about it now but the things I said to my gorgeous wife [Chezzi Denyer], who was trying her best to help me through a dark period, still haunts me. I couldn’t control my behaviour.
‘Its tough on the patient and can be equally tough on the loved one caring for them. But with some good advice, she could make sense of things, even when I wasn’t making sense.’
The monster truck crash left Grant with a vertebrae that was shattered in 11 pieces, and doctors feared he may never walk again.
However, the popular presenter made a remarkable recovery, triumphantly returning to TV screens and eventually winning a Gold Logie.
Past: ‘You want to be proud of who you are and be proud of your lineage but when you find someone who’s committed horrific acts, it makes it very hard to be proud of,’ he said