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Football star Alex Scott uncovers her Jewish roots

The former Arsenal player will unravel her family history in a new series of Who Do You Think You Are?

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Programme Name: Who Do You Think You Are? S18 - TX: n/a - Episode: Who Do You Think You Are? S18 - Announcement (No. Announcement) - Picture Shows: Alex Scott at Sandys Row Synagogue, London Alex Scott - (C) Wall to Wall Media Ltd - Photographer: Stephen Perry

Football Focus’ new permanent host Alex Scott has uncovered Jewish ancestry on her mother’s side.

The 36-year-old former Arsenal player unravelled her family history in a new series of BBC One’s ancestry show Who Do You Think You Are? due to hit our screens this October. 

Ms Scott, who also explored her Jamaican heritage on the programme, discovered that her great-granddad had battled fascism in London’s East End in 1936, the BBC said.

This isn’t the first time that a public figure delved into their Jewish ancestry on the programme. 

In 2019, Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe broke down in tears during filming as he read his Jewish great grandfather’s suicide note for the first time.  

He learned that his ancestor, Samuel Gershon, had been financially ruined by a robbery at the family’s Hatton Garden jewellery business in 1936.

Faced with destitution and the police’s suspicions he staged the raid to claim an insurance payment, he took his life aged 42.

The latest seven-part series, which will also feature Dame Judi Dench, Ed Balls, and a cast of other public figures, will take viewers on a journey across the world to Jamaica, Denmark, Ireland and the UK.

“The incredible personal stories they unearth of their ancestors’ lives - from royal love triangles to labourers fighting for their rights, from Victorian child sweeps to battling fascists in London’s East end - reflect and illuminate all our collective history,” said Executive Producer Colette Flight.

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