Actor John Simm's life turned upside down as he uncovers 54-year family secret

TV star John Simm has opened up about his life being completely turned upside down after he discovered his biological father was not the man who raised him

Renowned actor John Simm has had his world turned on its head by revelations uncovered in a new ITV series, leaving him to confront the reality that "everything I thought I knew wasn't real". The star of 'Life on Mars' and 'Doctor Who' star, aged 54, took part in 'DNA Journey With Ancestry' to explore his lineage alongside friend and actor Phil Glenister.

Simm was astonished to discover during the show that the man he thought was his father is not related to him biologically. He recounted the harrowing juncture stating: "So cut a long story short, the DNA results came back, and my dad, he's not my dad."

The show commences with Simm recounting an email, which is followed by a discussion with his mother Brenda before filming kicked off last year. Simm's father, Ronald, passed away in 2015.

Recounting his parents' history, Simm expressed his surprise at a tale untold until now: "When they had me, in the sixties, they were both young...they were together and then they split up and were both with other people and then they got back together and then they had me. And I'd never heard this story before."

The story unfolded further when Simm discussed his parents' visit to a physician: "And the doctor said: 'It's absolutely fine, the dates are fine.' But it turns out he isn't my biological father. Which is a bit of a shock.", reports the Mirror.

Simm, who grew up with two sisters, considered abandoning the project but ultimately chose to utilise the expertise available to uncover details about his biological father, Terence. Although the news has staggered his mother, Simm feels some relief that his father Ron is not here to face these unsettling revelations.

The film documents John and Phil's journey to Featherstone, Yorkshire, where a historian informs them that John's biological father passed away in 1998. John learns about his biological father's upbringing and is struck by the coincidence that both he and his dad used to perform at the same working men's clubs he frequented during his teenage years.

John reflects: "The thing that blows my mind, me and my dad, we played around here loads of times, we definitely played here a lot and he might have been in the same pub one night and watched me play."

They later meet a club steward who provides more background, telling John his biological father lived above a working men's club with his parents. John remarks: "I can't get it out of my head, because we played this area in the 80s and he was here and he was in working men's clubs. It's one of those mad, Back To The Future, Life On Mars things."

Emotions run high when John sees photos of his biological father for the first time and discovers more about him, including his marriage and daughter, half-sister Karen, previously unknown to John.

Upon assimilating all the new information, a poignant moment unfolds as John meets Karen, who shares that Terence, known as Tel, also shared an affinity for singing on stage.

John revealed that the discoveries have helped him understand why he always "felt a bit different" growing up alongside his sisters, Carol and Nicola. He is still taken aback by the possibility that his biological father may have seen him perform at a gig.

In conversation with Karen, he expressed: "If he happened to be in on a Friday or a Saturday night in one of those clubs, he would have seen me play. Wow, that's mad, isn't it? Yeah, that's really bizarre. Mind-blowing."

When asked about how these revelations have affected him, he shared: "I mean, I was really close to my dad. He was like my best mate. But having said that, there was always something, I don't know what it was, I really felt different. And I always felt a bit guilty about it. But a lot of things sort of fall in this place. I kind of feel not guilty about feeling different."

John tied the knot with his wife Kate Magowan in 2004 and they are parents to two children, a son named Ryan and a daughter, Mollie. DNA Journey with Ancestry will be back on ITV1 and ITVX on October 9, featuring John Simm and Philip Glenister in the first episode.