TV’s Big Brother host Davina McCall has been booked by the Met Police to spill the beans at this weekend’s Special Constables conference near the Tower of London. She is one of the guest speakers addressing 300 delegates from around the world

By Mike Brooke

TV’s Big Brother host Davina McCall has been booked by the Met Police to spill the beans at this weekend’s Special Constables conference near the Tower of London.

She is one of the guest speakers addressing 300 delegates from police forces around the world.

The celebrity mum-of-three was so moved by the discovery of her eminent French police ancestor during the making of the recent TV programme Who do You Think You Are? that she has agreed to speak tomorrow evening (Saturday) supporting special’ policing at the biannual conference, which is hosted by the Met for the first time ever.

Her great-grandfather Celestin Hennion was head of France police who revolutionised the service in the early 20th century.

“I had always known my great-grandfather was a policeman in France,” she said. “But only last year I found out he was a national hero who sought justice in the Dreyfus Affair, a spying scandal that shocked France.

“I’m proud of his integrity and his instinct to do the right thing, no matter what the personal cost.”

The three-day conference opening today at The Tower Hotel by Tower Bridge is promoting the work of part-time volunteer officers, men and women from all walks of life, from TV producers and nurses to multi-national bank directors and cross-Channel ferry operators.

A charity auction tonight (Friday) has prizes including a private tour of the Tower of London, while speakers on Saturday include Policing Minister David Hanson and blind adventurer Miles Hilton-Barber. A visit the Thames river police HQ in Wapping nearby is also planned, before Davina McCall takes the floor after dinner.

Sunday has themed sessions on the 2012 London Olympics for the 300 delegates from all over the UK and as far afield as the USA and Hong Kong.