Gemma Collins finds link to Jack the Ripper murders in BBC show

Collins, who lives near Chelmsford, said during the show she found out her grandmother had not abandoned her mother, Joan, who has also appeared on Towie.

Instead, historians told her how it was most likely that Joan was taken away from her mother by the state.

“It was very overwhelming, very, very bizarre, to find out all this stuff we’ve not known for so long. It’s bittersweet and amazing,” Collins said.

“It’s been very cathartic putting my mum’s mind at rest about so much stuff that was unanswered for her.”

Collins added that finding her deepest roots laid in Essex was “the icing on the cake”.

“To be confirmed as a fully-fledged East-Ender that went out to Essex can only mean one thing – I need a starring role in Eastenders,” she said.