John Simm told: Your dad is not your father

Actor meets half-sister he never knew about after TV show DNA test result shock

- MARK JEFFERIES

ACTOR John Simm's family life has been turned upside down after he learned his dad was not his biological father.

John, 54, signed up for ITV show DNA Journey With Ancestry as a favour for Life on Mars co-star Phil Glenister so they could research their family trees together.

But he got the shock of his life and now says: "Everything I thought I knew wasn't real."

By the end of the show, John has learned he has a half-sister he never knew about, and that his biological dad probably saw him perform on stage in the 1980s.

The man John knew as his dad, Ronald Simm, died in 2015. The show begins with John recalling a conversation he had with his mum Brenda.

He says: "When they had me, in the 60s, they were both young... they were together and then they split up and were both with other people and then they got back together and then they had me. And I'd never heard this story before."

John explains that his parents spoke to a doctor after Brenda learned she was pregnant.

He adds: "The doctor said: 'The dates are fine. But it turns out he isn't my biological father. Which is a bit of a shock.