‘I'm so proud!'

Joe Sugg on the courageous ancestors in his family tree...

- CAREN CLARK

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? TUESDAY / BBC1 / 9PM / EP 6 of 7 / FACTUAL

Family means everything to Joe Sugg, who credits big sister Zoe, AKA social-media influencer Zoella, with inspiring him to launch his own YouTube career a decade ago. So when the Wiltshire-born presenter and actor, who reached the Strictly final in 2018, looked into his maternal roots for this week’s Who Do You Think You Are?, he was thrilled to discover that several of his ancestors had the same strong family ties and work ethic.

Those forebears also displayed an extraordinary will to survive in the face of challenging experiences, from refugees who fled religious persecution in France to another relative who overcame tragedy and became a technological pioneer, and a jeweller who lived through the Great Fire of London of 1666.

Here, Joe, 30, tells us about his amazing discoveries…

What was your family life like when you were growing up?

I see myself as a country bumpkin! I grew up in a small village, Lacock, and spent my childhood inventing things to do to entertain myself.