Brooke Shields breaks down over tragic family past as she learns of royal ancestors on U.S. television

By Daily Mail Reporter

Family secrets: Brooke Shields discovered that she was descended from English and French royalty on U.S. show Who Do You Think You Are?


She first posed nude at eight, and was barely in her teens when she modelled for Playboy - actress Brooke Shields has long been a symbol for the loss of childhood innocence.

But the 44-year-old was not the first in her family to have been forced to grow up fast.

The Lipstick Jungle star learned of a tragic family history while participating in U.S. television series Who Do You Think You Are.

The show, which traces celebrities' ancestors revealed that Shields' grandmother, Teresa, had been just ten when she lost her mother.

In the wake of the death Teresa became a mother figure to her siblings, only to lose a brother in a drowning accident when he was just 13.

The actress broke down in tears as she learned the reasons why her grandmother had always been so 'bitter, sad and afraid'.


Tragic past: The actress learned of the heartbreaking losses suffered by her grandmother that made her so 'bitter, sad and afraid'


Connection to the past: Shields, 44, wondered if her lineage had some bearing on her decision to study French literature while at University


She learned how Teresa must have channelled her grief into daughter Teri, Brooke's mother, who was so badly treated that she ended up running away from home.

'Loss after loss after loss,' she said. 'It takes a toll on your soul. I don't think she could have coped with all these wounds one after another.'


Questions answered: Shields (right) with her mother, Teri, whose unhappy childhood was explained by her own mother, Teresa's grief


Aristocratic roots: As a child with her parents before their divorce in 1970


Shields, whose parents are divorced, also learned secrets about her father's family. Having always known she was descended from Italian aristocracy (one ancestor was the banker to the Vatican), she was stunned to learn that she was related to English and French royalty as well.


Child star: Shields in one of the photographs that was shown during her appearance

Show researchers discovered that she was directly related to King Henry IV and that Louis XIV was a cousin, many generations removed.

The actress wondered if her lineage had, in some way, had some bearing on her decision to study French culture and literature while at University.

Friends star Lisa Kudrow, who was inspired to make a U.S. version of the show after watching the British version while filming in Ireland, said: 'It's those tiny, weird little connections to the past that make the show so interesting.'

She herself had her family tree traced back to Belarus, where members of her Jewish family had been killed with 900 others from their village by the Nazis.

'Hearing the details made it worse because you conjure up an image of what it must have been like for them,' she said.

Other stars participating in the show include Susan Sarandon and Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker, as well as her husband Matthew Broderick.


source :dailymail