Comedian Romesh Ranganathan, who will be hosting the 2024 BAFTA TV Awards alongside Rob Beckett, previously opened up about the thought of taking his own life after a family ordeal.
The 44-year-old detailed that when he was 12, his dad Ranga was sacked from his job, and their house was repossessed. Shortly after moving onto a council estate, his father’s affair was revealed and he disappeared for two days.
Romesh’s mum told him to search for his dad at his mistress’s house. However, they found out he had been arrested and was in prison.
2024 BAFTA TV Awards: Romesh would ‘fantasise’ about suicide regularly
“My world had been turned upside down so completely,” he told The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett.
“Unbeknown to me, my dad wasn’t doing great at work. He was a loose cannon, he drank a lot and was a bit of a womaniser.”
Romesh recalled his mum telling him that his house was being repossessed because “we can’t keep up with the mortgage payments”.
While living in a council house, Romesh and his mum took up work as a cleaner while his father was behind bars. The traumatic period of his left Romesh wanting to take his own life.
“I have a horrific voice in my head. I’ll always have this inner belief I’m a bit [bleep],” he stated. “I was thinking about taking my own life regularly, and I’d fantasise about it…”
Romesh insisted that “all comedians are wired slightly differently,” believing they’ve all “had something happen to them that has made them an outsider in some way”.
The star mended his relationship with his dad later on. However, he died in 2011 from a sudden heart attack.
At the time, he was working as a teacher before pursuing a career in comedy.
Read more: Romesh Ranganathan: From maths teacher to beloved TV comedian and The Weakest Link host
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