Our Girl star Michelle Keegan has welcomed a baby daughter into the world and honoured her Spanish roots with her unique name.
The BBC star explored her family history back in 2018 in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?
From owning a luxury apartment with husband Mark Wright, to opening up about her great-grandmother, here’s what Michelle has said about her heritage.
Michelle Keegan explored her Spanish roots by diving back into the past
The 37-year-old wanted to know more about her family heritage and appeared on the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are in 2018.
The Manchester native spoke of her Mediterranean roots on her mother’s side and remembers growing up with the country’s influence.
She said: “My great-grandmother only spoke Spanish – I can’t remember a time when she didn’t speak Spanish, especially in her later years.
“She didn’t communicate in English at all”.
The Coronation Street star continued: “My grandad was from England, but my grandma was born in Gibraltar. And I’d love to find out where we came from even before that”.
She became emotional when she found out on her father’s side, her great-great-grandmother fought to gain women the right to vote, and was close with the leader of the suffragette movement, Emmeline Pankhurst.
Ecstatic over the revelation, she said: “From my grandma to my mum, I’ve always been around strong women. Now, looking at my ancestors and my blood line, I totally understand why…”
‘Rebellious great-grandmother’
At another point in the episode, Michelle travels to Gibraltar and visits the local town where her maternal great-grandmother, Leonor, grew up.
Uncovering a local marriage certificate, she finds out Leonor didn’t marry her husband Charles at her local church, the Sacred Heart. This was due to him not being a Roman Catholic. They were forced to tie the knot in a Methodist church because their union was considered ‘mixed’ and going against their own religions.
Michelle reads the document out loud: “My great-grandmother was Roman Catholic, Charles, my great-grandfather was Church of England. So he couldn’t get married in a Roman Catholic church.”
She adds: “She rebelled! She got married for love, which is a nice thing.”
The actress continued: “It sort of makes sense now, as when my mum showed me this picture, she did say that my great-grandma and my great-grandad didn’t like to be apart”.
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Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan’s luxury Spanish apartment
The Brassic star enjoys a second home with her hubby Mark, as he has his own Spanish apartment in sunny Majorca that he enjoys with Michelle Keegan. It’s a home away from home when they need to get away from their Essex mega-mansion.
In June 2023, the TOWIE icon announced they were finally finished renovating the apartment.
Keeping it classic, the light wood flooring is paired with white furniture, bedding, plush sofa, stunning glass balcony and marble bathroom.
Mark captioned the post: “Sorry for the delay… if you’ve been following this reno journey it was a tough call if we were gonna get it done in time but we did it! So many of you have asked to see it finished so here we go… Couldn’t have done it without the amazing team that helped me.”
Learning the lingo
In a bid to feel closer to her family’s past, Michelle admitted learning Spanish was on her bucket list, Keegan confessed in 2019.
After finding out about her heritage she was determined to learn the lingo.
She told HELLO! magazine: “I love the culture and the hidden gems of the island and it feels more special now when I visit. My family, friends and I love to holiday in Spain and it’s on my bucket list to learn the language.
“Tapas-style food is my favourite. You get lovely fresh fish in some great marina restaurants in Ibiza.
“My fondest memories of the island are at Cafe Mambo where they have live DJs and everyone watches the sunset. Anyone going to Ibiza has to visit.”
Considering they have a luxury apartment in Majorca, it makes it even easier to visit!
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Michelle Keegan honours Spanish roots with baby girl’s name
Michelle and Mark announced the birth of their baby daughter on March 12, with the bundle of joy coming into the world on March 6.
They shared an adorable black and white picture of their little one.
The couple, who have been married since 2015, captioned the post: “Together we have a new love to share… Our little girl Palma Elizabeth Wright. 06.03.25.”
But their baby’s name, Palma, also has a link to her roots.
Palma has origins in Spanish as well as Portuguese and Italian. It translates to ‘palm’, referring to the palm of a baby’s hands or a tropical link to palm tree. It is also linked to Pamela, meaning ‘honey’ or ‘sweetness’.
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