Mel C has recently made shocking revelations about her family’s heartbreaking past.
Speaking to The Mirror, the Spice Girl shared she found her family’s history for Thursday's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? and even how they survived The Great Famine.
She told the outlet, “Finding out about my family's history with activism and in particular their experiences of the Great Famine in Ireland was eye-opening.”
“Putting myself in their shoes was shocking,” remarked the 50-year-old.
Mel opened up that her great-great-great-grandparents Patrick Flaherty and Catherine Burns were from County Limerick, and travelled to see a farm where they lived.
The singer explained, “Finding out about our family in Ireland, it makes so much sense to realise why my grandmother and great-grandmother were so stoic and strong and resilient.”
“My three times great-grandparents Catherine and Patrick had had the worst hardships that you could imagine,” she said.
Moreover, Mel also discovered that her four times great-grandfather, Thomas Keef, was raised an orphan in a workhouse in 1818. He worked his way up from a baker to an insurance manager, but in 1860 he was charged with embezzlement. Then he was forced to move to Liverpool and restart his career.
He changed his surname to O'Keef, Thomas after which he became a major player in politics and public speaking in Liverpool.
While talking about her great-grandmother, Mel pointed out, “My great-grandmother Mary is listed as being a money lender, and I really don't know what that means.”
“I imagine some big burly guy battering your door down to get the money back, and that was what my great-grandmother was doing,” she added.
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