Robin gibb on TV Show Who do you think you are?

Bee Gees star Robin Gibb was left feeling "helpless" after discovering his ancestors were poverty-stricken as he researched his roots for a genealogy TV show.

Gibb unearthed tragic secrets about his family tree while filming an episode of U.K. ancestry series Who Do You Think You Are? and he was heartbroken to find that his great-great grandfather William abandoned his young children to look for work when the collapse of the weaving industry caused mass unemployment - only to die penniless in a Scottish slum in 1874.

Gibb says, "It's a very sad story. You feel helpless because when you read about the situation and the ­conditions... you feel like you want to reach out and help."

But the singer was inspired after learning William's son Matthew had overcome his childhood poverty to become a decorated soldier.

He adds, "I admire him as he appears to be of great character and tough, great qualities to have