Who Do You Think You Are? : Gemma Collins fans reduced to tears after learning her family history in latest episode

Gemma Collins fans were reduced to tears after she appeared on the popular BBC show Who Do You Think You Are? last night.

The BBC show is a genealogy series in which well-known people trace their family tree. The programme has been airing since 2004, and series 21 kicked off in August with actress Vicky McClure. Series 21 has seen a whole host of famous faces devle deeper into their family history, from Paddy McGuinness and Olly Murs to Strictly legend Rose Ayling-Ellis. And episode seven was the turn of Gemma Collins.

The 43-year-old reality TV star goes in search of her family history. She knows quite a lot about her dad’s side of the family, but nothing about her mum’s - beyond the fact her mum Joan was fostered as a baby. It’s a subject they’ve always found difficult to talk about, but now for the first time, Joan has agreed to share with Gemma what she knows.

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During the 60-minute episode Gemma learns about her mum's childhood and how she was fostered at two weeks old . Gemma learns that her grandmother, like her mum, was also called Joan Williams and spent time in some hospitals in Epsom.

In her quest to find out more about her grandmother Gemma discovers that her grandmother was in two psychiatric hospitals – once when she 13 when she was diagnosed as having schizophrenia and then again when she was 17, just after her mum was born. This time the diagnosis was chronic schizophrenia.

As part of the documentary she meets Dr Claire Hilton. Dr Hilton who thinks that the diagnosis may have been a red herring and that societal pressures at the time meant that there would have been little choice for Gemma’s grandmother - an unmarried teenage mother - to keep her child.

Later in the episode Gemma believes she has discovered the identity of Jack the Ripper and is convinced she is related to him through her great-grandfather, William Williams. Historian Fiona Rule shows Gemma census returns which reveal that as a child William Williams was living in Tower Hamlets with his dad, also called William Williams, and his mum Thirza in Dorset Street in the East End.

Gemma learns that when her great-great-grandparents were living there, it was dubbed the worst street in London. It had first gained notoriety more than a decade before as the street where one of Jack the Ripper’s victims was murdered.

Gemma's fans had mixed reactions on the episode, one X user wrote: "Gemma Collins on Who Do You Think You Are? was everything I wanted and more," another wrote: "I really think they could delve deeper into Gemma Collins family history as it was fascinating. Her poor mother and Grandmother! Definitely enjoyed it."

A third wrote: "I loved it. It had everything including reference to Jack the Ripper, Foulness, Dorset St and the use of the word schizophrenia in the ‘50s. And the way there were so many coincidences throughout the family history was uncanny. Great story."

One viewer who had never heard of Gemma Collins was pleasantly surprised, by the episode, wirting: "I’d not heard of Gemma before this. I thought she was fab - loved how interested and enthusiastic she was. Fascinating back story." Another said: "Not knowing a family history must be so hard bless her. "

Others were not so enthusiastic about the episode, one X user wrote: "I was hoping this episode with Gemma Collins would have a surprise ending like Danny Dyer, no such luck," another criticised the shows budget writing: "Clearly the #wdytya budget was blown on earlier episodes, cos Essex to Essex via Spitalfields wasn’t breaking any banks. I couldn’t get into this at all."

Fellow celebrity friends of Gemma took to Instagram to ocmment on her post about the show, Jedward wrote: "It’s wonderful that the show gives closure to the whole family and a sense of peace," and Pixie Lott wrote: "Ahhh so happy u did this show, one of my abso faves can’t wait to see it."

If you missed Thursday's episode you can catch up on BBCiPlayer by clicking here.