Comedian, host, author and more, Peter Helliar is a multi-skilled icon of Australian entertainment.
He’s also, the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! contestant happily admits, a family man who enjoys nothing more than time with his wife and three sons.
Peter was suspected to win I’m A Celebrity until his unexpected elimination.
(Image: Instagram)“I think the family home represents this place you can always come back to no matter what’s happening outside,” he says as he begins a search to find out more about his own family tree on Who Do You Think You Are?
“As soon as you’re around family, everything will be OK.”
But he wonders if he actually will be OK with the unknown ancestors he’s about to find?
Peter can’t wait to find out more on his ancestry.
(Image: Instagram)“I’m really excited to learn about a few characters, a few idiots,” he says. “I hope they stay in the idiot and not the a–hole territory.”
Peter’s wish comes true as he delves into his ancestors, finding direct links to a soldier who fought at Gallipoli in World War I, an adulterer who created a scandal that rocked Ireland, a popular politician and more.
There are surprises with each generation, but none makes Peter sit forward in his chair more than one who was a famous footballer in the 19th century.
He learns that his two-times great-grandfather was John Francis Carroll, who played for South Ballarat in the 1880s before joining Fitzroy and later Footscray where he was captain.
It’s not quite the link to Peter’s beloved Collingwood he would have preferred, but having a past league club captain in the family leaves him delighted.
“I can’t wait to tell Dad about this,” Peter says. “I’m very proud that John was there at the beginning [of AFL] and believed in it!”
