Political commentator shocked after DNA test reveals secret family who lived 20 minutes from late mum

Peter Stefanovic has since met his new family

Peter Stefanovic, 58, discovered his secret family after doing a home DNA test (Collect/PA Real Life) (PA)

A political commentator discovered his secret family after a home DNA test matched him with three local and living half-siblings of his late mother.

Peter Stefanovic, 58, a high profile lawyer from Buckinghamshire whose political commentary has gone viral in recent years, was not expecting to discover any new family members when he and his late mother, Aileen, did a DNA home test to learn more about their Scandinavian and Finnish origins.

Aileen passed away in February 2021, a few months before her test results came back to reveal she matched with three half-siblings, one of whom lives just 20 minutes away from her childhood home in Welling, Kent.

The shocking discovery also revealed the identify of her father, John McRory, an Irish soldier who had been stationed in the area during the 1930s.

While Aileen, who died at the age of 86, never knew her father’s name and was unaware of the existence of her three half-siblings, Peter has now met up with his new family at a hotel in Rochester on January 27 2024, including his mother’s half-sister, Victoria Cox, 86, and half-brothers, Ashley and Graham McRory.

Peter knew very little about his grandfather, John McRory, only that he had been an Irish soldier (Collect/PA Real Life) (PA)

Peter said: “When we all came together that evening, there was a sense of trepidation because we didn’t know how everyone was going to react to each other.

“When my wife and I walked into the hotel bar where we had arranged to meet on that Saturday night, we were greeted with this overwhelming feeling of love and affection.

“That old saying, that blood is thicker than water, I did not really understand what it meant until that night.

“I’ve suddenly got a whole new family that I never knew I had, and it’s really quite extraordinary.

“It looks like that when my grandad had these flings with my mother and Victoria’s mother, that he was already married.

“I was told that my grandad was a very charming man with the ladies, which would explain how he got away with it.”

The new found family agreed to meet in-person for the first time at a hotel in Rochester on January 27, 2024 (PA)

Peter knew very little about his grandfather, John McRory – only that he had been an Irish soldier.

But this all changed when Peter decided to do a home DNA test with MyHeritage in 2018, to find out more about his background.

He was shocked to discover that a significant portion of his genetic makeup came from Scandinavia and Finland.

Wanting to know more, he suggested his mother, Aileen, also take a home test which confirmed his Nordic heritage.

“When we did her test she was a staggering 44.6% Scandinavian,” Peter explained.

Aileen, who died at the age of 86, never knew her father's name and was unaware of the existence of her three half-siblings (Collect/PA Real Life) (PA)

Sadly, Aileen passed away shortly afterwards without ever finding out who her father was.

“My mum sadly died three years ago never knowing who her father was,” he said.

“When we embarked on the DNA testing it never crossed anyone’s mind that we would find her father, my grandfather.

“It’s only through the miracle of DNA testing that it happened.”

Several months after his mother’s death, Peter was notified that his mother’s DNA had been matched with 86-year-old Victoria Cox.

It turned out to be Aileen’s half sister, who was born in 1937 in Gravesend, Kent, just 20 minutes away from her childhood home in Welling.

“It is such a shame that neither of them knew the other existed,” said Peter.

Victoria had never known her biological father either, and was told the same story, that he had been an Irish solider.

“There was a shared sense of loss between my mum and Victoria because neither of them knew who their father was,” said Peter.

“They were both told the same story, that he was Irish and a soldier, but no name, no address, nothing else.”

He would have remained a mystery had the DNA test not been matched with two other half-siblings, Ashley and Graham McRory.

“They knew nothing about Victoria and my mum,” said Peter.

“But the way in which they have just welcomed these two families who they knew nothing about with open arms was so touching.”

Peter with his wife Anu and daughter Emily (Collect/PA Real Life) (PA)

Their father, John McRory, was an Irish citizen and had been stationed around Kent during the early 1930s.

Peter has since found documents which suggest his grandfather John was born in 1913 and served in the Royal Ulster Rifles.

It also tallies with what Peter had been told about his grandmother, Elsie Baldwin’s fleeting relationship.

“My great aunt said that my grandma had always been a rather quiet and sullen child, so you can imagine, there was a huge wave of shock in the family when they discovered that she was pregnant,” said Peter.

“I was told that my great grandad went to see this guy and asked what his intentions were, to which he replied that he was already married and then disappeared.

“When you think about the time, early 1930s, it was pretty extreme behaviour, but apparently he was a very charming man with the ladies.”

The new found family agreed to meet in-person for the first time at a hotel in Rochester at the end of last month.

“There was this instant connection.”

Peter’s wife, Anu, 59, who was one of his mother’s carers before she passed away, was shocked by the resemblance between Aileen and her half sister.

Many of Peter’s new family members recognised him from his media presence, with some even following him on Twitter.

“I’ve been known for many years as someone who has challenged the Government on a number of issues and it’s just one of those things, where if you say something that resonates with people, they just start following you.”

Peter said him and his wife were “treated like any other family member” and welcomed with “open arms”.

The couple, who now lives in Northamptonshire, plan on attending Victoria’s 87th birthday in May and speak with their new family on a regular basis.

“We have been messaging each other, practically every day,” said Peter.

“It almost feels as though we have always known each other.”

To find out more about MyHeritage home DNA tests visit: www.myheritage.com/dna