We released new research recently that reveals that New Zealand trumps Australia in the celebrity stakes, as 16% of Kiwis are able to lay claim to someone famous. However, Aussies should not fear as we are twice as likely as New Zealanders to be related to ‘convict royalty’, with almost one in five of Australians having a link to a convicted criminal or convict.

2,000 Australian and New Zealand residents were surveyed, the results highlighting that the family trait of keeping skeletons in the closet is universal. In both Australia and New Zealand, almost 12% of people said family members refused to discuss family secrets or rumours. Fortunately, it would appear that you don’t have to shake the family tree too hard to uncover your own family secret as almost one third (33%) of respondents in both countries have discovered one by chance.

But not all are so easily revealed – more than half of Australians (55%) currently exploring their family history are seeking to shed light on a family secret. 35% also said that confronting a family secret resulted in them getting in touch with relatives they didn’t know previously, and that it also brought their family closer together.

Have you found a secret in your family tree? Perhaps you have found a secret adoption, a child born out of wedlock, links to royalty or someone who was married to more than one person at once?

We want to hear about it! Simply click on Submit Your Story on the right hand side of this page, enter your information and click submit. We’ll let you know before we publish your story.