Kaplinsky: My family’s persecution inspired me to take in refugees
TV newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky has said she was inspired to give a home to Ukrainian refugees after learning of her own family’s suffering in Eastern Europe.
In April, she and her husband Justin, both 49, their son Arlo, 13, and daughter Kika, 12, welcomed the Kmit family from Lviv. They now live in an annexe on their farm in East Sussex.
She told Weekend Magazine of visiting the former Soviet Union when she took part in a Who Do You Think You Are? show. Miss Kaplinsky described finding out about her family’s persecution in Belarus before and during the Nazi Holworst
‘Repaying a small debt to history’
ocaust as ‘very painful’. ‘My trip had given me an insight into what it’s like to be a persecuted family on the run,’ she added. ‘Generations of Kaplinskys have experienced the kindness of strangers as refugees, so as soon as the Homes for Ukraine programme was announced I registered to host a family. It felt like repaying a small debt to history.
‘I became obsessed by what’s happening in Ukraine, the horror that’s overcome a peaceful nation is shocking. I was determined to give Anastasiia, Yarik and the children – Sonya, 12, and sixyear-old Oleh – the best experience I possibly could...
‘They were raw from experiencing the of humanity. The Brits have a long history of stepping up in times of crisis, and the conflict in Ukraine has unlocked so much kindness in so many people.
‘Look how generous Mail readers have been, raising millions for displaced Ukrainians. It’s at times like this I’m extremely proud to be British.’