The return of Who Do You Think You Are? this week sees media personality and journalist Lisa Wilkinson go on a global quest for answers about her family’s history.
In a revealing and at times emotional journey, Lisa discovers some uncanny parallels between past generations of women, while also uncovering some colourful and tragic stories along the way.
Lisa, 60, who travels to India and the UK, as well as across Australia, tells TV WEEK how her appearance on the show has become one of the most important decisions she’s ever made.
There’s no denying the experience was incredibly emotional. Did it turn out to be one of the most important experiences of your life?
Absolutely. I feel like a whole lot of missing pieces have been put into place, and many of those pieces didn’t look anything like I expected.
Some of the discoveries were quite heartbreaking to watch and, naturally, were for you too. Were you surprised by how much it affected you?
Yes, although it’s something I’ve been building up to for a long time. I always wanted to get to the bottom of my mother’s story, particularly, but life and kids and work just got in the way.
I could never have imagined how much heartbreak lay just beneath the surface. I haven’t seen the show yet – I’m not allowed to before it airs – but there were a lot of tears, so I really should apologise to everyone in advance!
Lisa Wilkinson travelled to India to learn about her ancestry on SBS’ Who Do You Think You Are?
(Image: SBS)
Lisa (top right) pictured with her late mother Beryl Wilkinson (left) who died in 2018, and her three children.
(Image: Lisa Wilkinson)How much did the discoveries stay with you after the cameras stopped rolling?
They’ll never leave me. I still get emotional talking to you now. It’s never far away.
It’s such an incredible global story as well – could you believe you’d end up in India when discovering your family’s heritage?
The experience of Who Do You Think You Are? is such a mystery. Every day I woke up, I had no idea where we were heading next.
Even when I got to the airport, I was just told to pack for very hot weather.
Finding out it was a flight to India just blew me away. It was one of the last places on Earth I expected to go, but I was absolutely thrilled and utterly intrigued. It’s such an incredible country.
It must have been surreal to literally be following in your ancestors’ footsteps…
Surreal, and very, very real. Every step of the way I could feel their presence – their hopes, their sadnesses, their fighting spirit, their losses and their strengths.
They were all quite different characters, with very different circumstances, but their will to keep going despite all they were facing was so inspiring.
Lisa Wilkinson with her family and former Today Show colleagues Karl Stefanovic and Sylvia Jeffreys.
(Image: Facebook)You say how sad it is you can’t share these stories with your mum – did the experience change the way you view her in any way? As in the knowledge you’ve found explain parts of her or make you see her in a different light?
I always knew Mum had a complicated childhood full of uncertainties and disappointments, and this answered for me so many of the unknowns that led to that.
It’s made me appreciate just how hard to she must have worked to try to overcome all she experienced. Mum never really lost her glass-half-full way of looking at life, and she had a softness, a kindness and a generosity that blew me away.
As a mother yourself, how important was it to be able to tell your children of their heritage and background?
Very important, because the Wilkinson side of who they are has always been a bit of a mystery. But I haven’t revealed everything, partly because I don’t think I could do the full story justice.
I’m going to let the show do that when we all sit down to watch it together on Tuesday night – with a very large box of tissues.
WATCH BELOW: See Lisa Wilkinson’s couples workout with husband Peter FitzSimons. Story continues after video.
Do you consider this one of the most valuable gifts for your children?
Being asked to take part in Who Do You Think You Are? is a gift I will always treasure, and something I’m grateful to be able to share and pass on to my kids. It’s one I know they’ll appreciate more and more as the years go on.
What have you tried to take from your own mother in terms of parenting?
I hope I’ve inherited her kindness, patience and the art of listening – really listening – to others. It’s amazing how much you learn when you do.
