RHONDA BURCHMORE 'ENTERTAINING RUNS IN MY BLOOD'

Finding out where she got her creative streak from was important to the legendary Aussie performer

For the four-plus decades that she's been gracing Australia's biggest stages, Rhonda Burchmore has had no idea where her flair for performing originally came from.

So, when she set out to learn about her ancestry on SBS' Who Do You Think You Are?, Rhonda, 63, was delighted to discover the origin of her creative streak.

How did you feel when you were picked for WDYTYA?

I was thrilled! I was very keen to find out my family history because I just thought I had a really ordinary background [laughs] but then I suddenly find out all this other stuff, which was mind-blowing and really emotional.

And you found out a little bit about your maternal grandfather Tommy?

I did, which was incredible. I'd never even seen a photo of him. I remember going to my grandma's house and she had cut him out of all the photos. My mum used to say he was a bad man, an alcoholic, and the stuff I found out about him on the show is wild!