John Simm's life changed forever when he took a DNA test on ITV's DNA Journey with Ancestry.
The Doctor Who star joined the show as a “favor” for his best friend and colleague Philip Glenister, but he never imagined the information revealed would change every aspect of his life. It wasn't. According to , Sim discovered that his late father Ronald was not his biological father. telegraph paper.
“It made my world spin and everything I thought I knew wasn't real,” Sim said.
The 54-year-old was shocked to learn that he was not related to the late Ronald Sim, whom he had thought was his father all his life.
The episode began with Sim recalling a conversation he had with his mother before taking a DNA test. He said his parents were both very young when they had him in the 1960s.
“They were together, then they broke up, they were both with other people, then they got back together, and then they had me,” Sim said, according to the Telegraph.
“And I had never heard this story before,” he said.
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 10: John Simm attends the 2017 Winter TCA Tour – Disney/ABC on January 10, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by JB Lacroix/WireImage) Getty Images
Sim was born in Leeds and spent his childhood playing guitar with his musician father, Ronald. According to the Telegraph, the two were playing in a working men's club. In a surprising twist, the famous actor discovered that his biological father once lived in the exact same area and frequented the same clubs. In a previous interview, Sim recalled that he shared a very close bond with Ronald, which was strengthened by performing together. According to the Telegraph, when he was 13 his parents divorced and he went to live with his mother, which he recalled as a strange period of transition for him.
“I can't get it out of my mind. I used to play in this area in the '80s and he was here and he was in the Working Men's Club,” Sims said.
“This is one of those Back to the Future or Life on Mars madness,” he said, according to the Telegraph.
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 10: John Simm attends the 2017 Winter TCA Tour – Disney/ABC on January 10, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by JB Lacroix/WireImage) Getty Images
The show set out to set Sims on a path of discovery, uncovering more information about their biological fathers they've never met before. He works with a team of various experts and historians to track down his biological father and eventually learns that his father is dead.
The famous actor learned that he had a half-sister and was able to meet her for the first time. She shared photos and videos of her father, and Sim called the experience “a huge milestone in my life.” (Related: Dolly Parton turns out to be related to one of the world's biggest pop stars)
DNA Journey with Ancestry will be broadcast on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player on October 9th at 9pm.
