Cheryl left fans in floods of tears as she shared her devastating family history on Who Do You Think You Are?
Although Chezza’s been hitting the headlines for her bun in the oven, people were less interested in her future family and more focused on the family from her past.
She was left heartbroken when she found out her father’s ancestor Caroline was forced to raise her children solo, as husband John Wood Laing was often away at sea.
The Geordie then made a shocking discovery that she didn’t expect.
John, aged just 32, and his brother, James Wood, had been lost at sea while working hard to get their families out of poverty.
Cheryl was visibly upset when the historian told her that John was unaware his wife Caroline was pregnant.
She said:”She was actually pregnant the whole time and John never saw his little boy… that’s so sad.
“She actually came from poverty and I guess went back to poverty.
“I was hoping that he had a long and successful career because of how hard he’d worked to get there and that the kids would have been okay and set up for life and Caroline would have been good.
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“I just feel sad now. I feel like I got to know John and Caroline.
“I feel I did get a sense of them as a couple.”
Watching the tragic story, viewers took to Twitter to express their heartbreak at the story.
One wrote: “Watching Cheryl Coles programme on BBC1 and i am crying grieving for her ancesters from the 1800’s [sic]”.
Another added: “Fully bawling over the fate Cheryl’s great great great grandparents… #WhoDoYouThinkYouAre.”
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Liam Payne’s girlfriend was also shocked to discover that there was a scandal on her mother’s side of the family.
Her mum had been brought up to not ask any questions and Cheryl found out the reason.
Her great-grandfather Joseph Wilson Ridley had eight children with a woman, and when she died he became involved with his maid Edith.
Although the pair (scandalously) never married, Edith gave birth to twins, one of whom, Olga, was Cheryl’s grandmother.