Zoe Ball breaks down in tears over great grandmother’s ‘tragic’ mental health issues

Zoe Ball fought through tears after uncovering heartbreaking details about her family history in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?

The BBC presenter, 55, traced her family tree in the latest installment of the genealogy series.

However, after finding out more about her grandmother Margaret ‘Peggy’ Minto, who was committed to hospital with acute mania after being put on trial for shoplifting, the former Radio 2 host was left visibly shaken.

Speaking to the camera, Zoe said it’s strange to think that she had mental health issues when she seemed like ‘such a lovely lady’.

At the age of 15 Peggy, the daughter of a coal miner, left school to work as a domestic servant for wealthy families before she became deeply depressed when her eldest daughter, her son-in-law and their child moved to Lancashire.

According to the historical experts, Peggy began fabricating stories about herself and became ‘excessively extravagant with money’, running up large bills.

After being arrested for shoplifting in 1963 at the age of 50, doctors committed her when she began expressing ‘grandiose ideas’ during her trial.

In 1970 she then died at the age of 66 when Zoe was just nine. Her death certificate listed pneumonia, liver failure and manic-depressive psychosis.

However, despite listening to the painful details of her grandmother’s life, Zoe became emotional after reading a letter Peggy had written, mentioning knitting jumpers for her mother Julia, who died from cancer in April 2024.

‘I am really happy just to see she is doing well,’ Ball said while crying.

‘Bless her heart. I am so relieved that she was okay again. Seeing my mum’s name in there as well. Thank you for showing me that.

‘I am so glad she managed to get the right treatment. She was able to be a mother and a grandma.’

Reacting to the episode online, several viewers praised Zoe’s courage for looking through her family history, with Jack writing on X: ‘What an exciting/nerve racking thing to do.’

Alice also wrote that her episode was ‘very moving and fascinating’.

Laura, meanwhile, added: ‘A really brilliant episode so far as I’m watching it. Thanks for sharing it.

‘The letters from your grandma are so insightful about mental health issues. I’m sure they will be helpful for so many people to see.’

Phil then wrote below: ‘Loved it, very interesting and some sad moments. I lost my mum 19 years ago and I’ve found out family bits from her past she’d be really happy and shocked to hear about. It’s a shame I can’t share with her.’

Elsewhere in the episode, Zoe uncovered that another branch of her family living in Glasgow were crammed into a four-storey apartment with around 50 people and only one single toilet.

Many family members died from illnesses including tuberculosis and laryngitis, while several children survived only a few days.

Who Do You Think You Are? is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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