Keira Knightley's secret uncle

Tuesday, August 07, 2007
There is one family saga which could leave Keira Knightley surprised, for the actress reportedly has a secret uncle she does not know about, from her maternal granny, Janet Williams.

The now 65-year-old uncle, William Ian Stewart Gray who lives in Bournemouth was born to the actress' Granny from a lieutenant in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, John Gray, whom she married after few months of romance on June 6, 1941.

Stewart was born barely after nine months of marriage and just six weeks after that, Williams found that John was already married and after a police investigation, he was convicted of bigamy. After a shammed marriage, Williams had no other option but to put her son up for adoption to escape social disgrace.

William later became romantically involved with an electrical engineer Joseph Macdonald, who was also married and had a son, but she gave birth to their illegitimate daughter, Knightley's mum Sharman. The couple went on like this until finally, when Sharman was 11, Macdonald divorced his first wife and married Williams one month later, in December 1962.

Although Stewart was pleased to know that his niece was a Hollywood star, he did not want to 'intrude' the family.

"Good on her. I'm very pleased for her. It's nice to have a niece who is known and proficient in her calling. Someone who does a job well should get all the plaudits they deserve," the Daily Mail quoted Stewart, as saying.

"But that's her life. It's not mine. I am who I am. I'm very pleased about it, but it won't change my life one jot. Why should it? The cult of celebrity has passed me by. I am somewhat ambivalent. You don't want to intrude in other people's lives. I hate the modern way of hugs and tears and all that," he said.