Stacey Dooley rejected by Who Do You Think You Are? because her backstory wasn’t ‘interesting’ enough

Stacey Dooley was rejected from Who Do You Think You Are? for not having an ‘interesting’ enough background.

The 33-year-old presenter is keen to know more about her family history because her dad walked out on her mum when she was just two years old and she has no contact with him or his relatives, so she was excited when she was approached by the BBC’s genealogy show.

However, that quickly turned to disappointment when they told her that her family’s backstory wasn’t gripping enough for a TV programme.

She said: ‘I’ve got a great relationship with my mum, but yes, it’s well documented that my biological father was never around. Not a bad guy, just sort of had his own issues and his own demons.

‘But now he’s dead, so you can’t really… I know very little about my father’s side, and I’d love to know more, actually.

‘It’s funny, a couple of years ago I was approached by the Who Do You Think You Are? producers and I said I’d love to do the show.

‘They went and did their research and came back saying there was nothing interesting enough about my family history to fill an hour! It’s all Ireland, Ireland, Ireland, Liverpool, Liverpool, Liverpool.’

The This Is My House host – who fronts DNA Family Secrets for the Beeb – praised her mother for her principled stance on her father but admitted she’s unsure she’d be as dignified if she’d been in the same situation.

She told the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine: ‘As an adult, I think about it more. I’d have liked to know a bit more about my father, what traits I’ve inherited from him.

‘My mum has always been brilliant when I’ve asked questions, and there’s only been a handful of times when I have, but she’s always dignified about the whole thing. Because I’m sure at times it was really tricky.

‘But she answers whatever she can. She says, “Ultimately he gave me you, so I’ll be eternally grateful to him for that.” And I think, that’s so principled. I don’t know if I would be.’

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