Grant Denyer reveals darkest family secrets: “It took me weeks to recover”
Grant Denyer has become a familiar face on Australia’s TV screens for almost two decades.
From featuring on Sunrise as a weather reporter, to checking in daily as the Family Feud host, the TV star has now decided to undertake a quiet patch and spend more time with his family.
After welcoming his third child with wife Chezzi Denyer, the dad says he could not be anymore happier to be spending time with his three girls, Sailor, 10, Scout, 5, and their newborn Sunday.
Denyer told Now To Love what he loves most is: "just being there more than I have ever, making lunches, doing school drop-offs, and taking them to sport… all the things that were very hard for me to do in the past because I wasn't here. The effect it has on the girls is quite profound.
“They're happier, they feel safer, they just feel like they've got a whole family unit looking after them."
While he has been appreciating his time away from work, the TV star couldn’t help but jump at the chance to explore his family history in Who Do You Think You Are?.
"It was an instant 'Hell yeah,'" he candidly admitted.
"I blindly went in like a dumb boy, just going, 'How cool would it be to be related to a bushranger?'"
However, what was meant to be a lightheaded self-discovery turned into an unravelling of "harrowing and dark" secrets.
The beloved TV personality was met with a harsh reality; His Scottish ancestors were forced from their homes "in the most brutal way" during the Highland Clearances.
"All the women were attacked, and they were driven off their land and had nowhere to live," he said.
"I was not expecting to hear that my ancestors had horrific lives. It was really deeply emotional. At times it was very hard to stomach.
"It took me weeks to recover, I reckon. It really rocked me."
Thankfully, the star has been able to find solace in his wife and three girls, admitting his youngest Sunday has wrapped his family in a “beautiful baby bubble”.
"The glow hasn't worn off," he said.
"It's just glowing brighter. It's unreal.
"Our favourite thing is just making her giggle because it's just the sweetest sound you've ever heard. Oh my God, it's like warm honey."
He went on to say: "If you're going to have a break from work just for a little bit, it's the perfect time to do it.
"I'm really thankful that I don't have much on at the moment and I can just savour it."