Former Countdown presenter Carol Vorderman has offered a rare insight into her family’s experience with war as people gather together for Remembrance Day.
The podcast host, 62, took to Instagram to share the moving story in view of her 442,000 followers today.
“Why Remembrance Sunday is important to my family,” she began.
“Born in 1960, my generation grew up with parents and grandparents who had fought and suffered in one or both World Wars. Everyone had suffered. Remembrance was tremendously important.
“Mine is a story of my 2 fathers who fought on opposite sides in WW2, both welcomed in this country, one as a Prisoner of War.
“I know, because, of how they were treated that we fundamentally are kind-hearted, decent, welcoming, peace loving people, and nothing will ever persuade me otherwise.”
The star then went on to explain in more detail that the “two fathers” she referred to were her birth father and beloved Italian stepfather.
“My Grandad in Wales (we say Taid in Welsh) had fought as a young man in the trenches in World War 1. He’d suffered the effects of mustard gas,” she explained.
“World War 2 came along. My 2 ‘fathers’ fought on opposite sides in WW2.
“My father Mr Vorderman who joined the Dutch Resistance when the Nazis swept through Holland in 1940.
“He was the Radio Man punishable by immediate death if caught. He escaped capture a number of times and was extremely brave.
“My ‘Dad’ was my Italian stepfather Mr Rizzi who had been conscripted under Mussolini (Hitler’s ally in Europe), caught and brought to Wales as a prisoner of War.
“He and my Mum married many years later,” she added. “He was welcomed and loved in our town Denbigh in North Wales.
“So many Italians stayed in Wales after the war and are a big part of our country’s story now.
“Two men. Different histories. Joined by a love for this wonderful country we live in.
“Every family has their story. This is mine. Thank you for listening,” she concluded with two heart emojis.
Carol also included a video, where she spoke passionately about her family’s history using her own words.
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