A Family Discovery Unfolded on Canadian TV

A few weeks ago on The Morning Show in Canada, viewers witnessed a remarkable family discovery unfold in real time.

Our VP of Marketing, Aaron Godfrey, joined host Carolyn MacKenzie to demonstrate how MyHeritage makes it easy to uncover your family history. But the segment quickly became personal: Carolyn had taken a MyHeritage DNA test, and Aaron came prepared with her results.

Watch the full segment here:

Carolyn learned that she is 45.3% Maltese — as expected from her mother’s side — but was surprised to discover 14% Irish ancestry, along with Scottish, Welsh, English, South Italian, French, Breton, and Dutch roots. “Hold on — I didn’t know about the Irish,” she said, clearly taken aback. “Now I’m going to look at Saint Patrick’s Day completely differently.”

Carolyn’s MyHeritage Ethnicity Estimate

But the discoveries didn’t stop there.

Carolyn was matched with 11,000 DNA relatives around the world, from the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, New Zealand, Malta, and even Fiji. “Your family has spread across the globe,” Aaron said. Carolyn laughed in disbelief: “My daughter was just studying in Fiji — I should have told her she might have a cousin there!”

The most moving moment came when Aaron told her about her great-great-grandfather, Dr. Reverend William Dyer. Born in Orono, Ontario in 1853, Dyer was a prodigy: he became a professor at Albert College at just 25, and then principal by 32, a role he held for 30 years. Carolyn was shown a beautifully restored and colorized photo of him using MyHeritage’s photo features, and was stunned by the resemblance to her own father.

Photo of Rev. Dr. William P. Dyer, enhanced and colorized on MyHeritage

Carolyn also received a video message from Anne Mitchell Reid, a newly discovered relative and second cousin from her father’s side, originally from Glasgow and now living in Pennsylvania. Anne had found a family photo of their shared ancestors — Carolyn’s great-great-grandparents — and reached out after matching with her via MyHeritage DNA.

“This is crazy. I’m in shock,” Carolyn said, visibly moved. “And I did all of this at home.”

Moments like these are at the heart of why MyHeritage exists: to help people find meaningful connections, uncover family stories, and feel a deeper sense of belonging. Sometimes all it takes is a name, a photo, or a simple cheek swab to open up a world of history.

Ready to discover your own story?  Start today at myheritage.com/dna