Kevin Clifton hopes ‘resilient’ women in family history will inspire baby Minnie after unearthing inspirational ancestors on Who Do You Think You Are?

Kevin Clifton is hopeful that learning about his incredible family history on Who Do You Think You Are? could inspire his baby daughter Minnie, after he learnt about the lives of the inspirational women who he’s descended from.

Celebrities from Danny Dyer to Judi Dench have taken part in the BBC programme, delving into the past to uncover fascinating stories about their relatives.

The latest episode features former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Kevin Clifton, who was a fan-favourite on the show before taking part in his final season in 2019.

Metro.co.uk recently spoke to the performer about what it was like to uncover the truth behind mysteries that had been in his family for many years when he took part in the genealogy series.

What the crew didn’t know when they were filming was that Kevin had just found out that he was going to be a dad, with his girlfriend Stacey Dooley – who he won Strictly with in 2018 – giving birth to their daughter Minnie in January this year.

In retrospect, now that he is the father to a five-month-old girl, Kevin’s tale in Who Do You Think You Are? takes on even greater meaning, as he was moved to learn about women in his family who triumphed through turbulent ordeals, particularly a legendary figure known to historians called Matooski.

Kevin can’t wait for Minnie to learn about the amazing women in her ancestry (Picture:Kevin Clifton/Instagram/Stephen Perry/BBC)

Having heard whispers of a woman called Matooski in his family – rumours that Kevin initially thought might turn out to have no truth behind them – the 40-year-old found out that she was in fact his five-times great-grandmother, one of few First Nations women of Canada to be recorded in historical documents.

Matooski, who was known as Nancy, was abandoned by her British husband, before she and her daughter Grace – Kevin’s four-times great-grandmother – faced a brush with death during a dangerous boat journey.

Despite what she had been through, she went on to thrive in her life.

When asked if he was looking forward to telling Minnie about the brilliant women who she can call her ancestors, Kevin told us: ‘First of all, just having Stacey as her mum – I think Stacey is an amazing role model for our little girl and I hope that she’s just like Stacey as she grows up.

Historians know of Kevin’s ancestor Matooski, a First Nation women of Canada (Picture: Linda Scheler)

‘Having these role models for Minnie is an amazing thing to have. I can’t wait for her to grow up a little bit and hear the stories herself. It was generations of men not acting that great and the women having to put up with it, but just showing such toughness and resilience.

‘They were really amazing women and I’m glad that we got to – selfishly – that I got to find out about it all, but also that we got to tell the story of it, so that their stories got told, so it all doesn’t just die with the men that were in control of the situation. Actually we can point to these women and go, “Look what they had to endure. Look how they got through it.”’

Referring specifically to Matooski, Kevin described her tale as an ‘incredible story’, adding: ‘What she went through and then survived it all, and then went on to thrive.’

TV presenter Stacey and Kevin have been together since 2019 (Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

‘By the end we saw her will, leaving it to her daughter just signed with an “X” because she couldn’t read or write. Everything that she went through – if she hadn’t endured and gone through all of that and had that resilience that she had, I wouldn’t even be here today. It’s such a strange thought. It’s an incredible story and one that I’m really proud of actually.’

When questioned on if he had a different mindset going into Who Do You Think You Are? considering he was soon going to become a father, the dancer acknowledged that he was ‘definitely very aware of it’.

‘I was definitely very aware of “what is my family history and what am I going to learn,” but also “what is our baby going to learn about it?” I was pleased that it panned out the way it did, that we were telling the stories of these tough women,’ he shared.

‘Once we knew it was a girl that we were having, I was like “This is amazing stuff for me to have when she’s older and to look back on and as an example for her.”’

Describing how shocked he felt to learn that the stories he heard about his relatives were from the not-too-distant past, he added that he couldn’t help but ‘feel connected to it in some way’.

Kevin explained: ‘I sort of felt very defensive and protective of some of these women, even though I never met them and my life is on the other side of the world and my life experience is so different. I couldn’t help but feel protective and defensive.’

Kevin Clifton’s Who Do You Think You Are? episode airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

‘They were really amazing women and I’m glad their stories were told.’