Bert Newton’s heartbreaking family secret: Who Do You Think You Are?

Television legend Bert Newton is delving into his family history after growing up without a father from an early age.

Bert lost his father, Joe, when he was just 11 years old, and never had the chance to learn about his significant career in the military.

But he was able to discover his own past in the SBS documentary series Who Do You Think You Are?

Bert visited military archives, where he learned about his father’s contribution to the armed forces and his motivation for enlisting.

He told TV Week his father had tried to join the military in his youth, but was unsuccessful. Joe eventually enlisted to fight in World War II.

‘In today’s terms you could say he’s a bit of a hero,’ Bert said. ‘He made such a wonderful contribution wanting to help Australia.’

The Logie Hall of Fame inductee uncovered tales of his father coming up against the Japanese in tough terrain in Papua New Guinea. 

But the military successes were overshadowed by the psychological toll the conflict had on Joe. 

Bert believes his father had post traumatic stress disorder, which wasn’t widely known or treated at the time. 

As a child, he suspected something was wrong with his father because he became so withdrawn after returning from the war

‘There were many times dad wanted to be alone, and for it to be quiet,’ he said.

Who Do You Think You Are? season 11 premieres on SBS on Tuesday at 7:30pm