Romesh Ranganathan's tough life from dad's imprisonment to home repossession
Romesh Ranganathan spoke candidly about his childhood struggles which left the Weakest link presenter living in a B&B with his mother and brother.
Romesh Ranganathan opened up about his father's imprisonment which led to the family home being repossessed.
Speaking in a new interview the 45 year old revealed he was forced to drop out of private school as he also touched on the bullying he experienced.
The comedian described his childhood as a tale of two halves.
"It started off in a very comfortable two-up, two-down house," he told the Radio Times. "The TV was the centre of the living room – until our house was repossessed."
The presenter continued: "My dad went to prison [for two years for fraud]. My mum, brother and I ended up in one room in a B&B. I didn’t have a sofa – the view of the telly was from the bed."
During that period, he moved from a private school to a state school.
Romesh said: "My parents had come from Sri Lanka and they were obsessed with me going to private school. I didn’t enjoy my time there. I was a bit of an outsider.
"Without getting too dark, I was racially abused. So, I wasn’t that bothered about leaving. I went to a state school, had a great time and went on to teach at that same school – which is where I met my wife [drama teacher, Leesa]."
The BBC presenter met his other half Leesa Ranganathan while working in Hazelwick School in Crawley, where she was a drama teacher and he taught maths.
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They married later in 2009 and have now been together for over a decade and the couple share three children: Theo, Alex, and Charlie.
Romesh has often spoken about her, both in his shows and in interviews, but says that she really doesn't mind it.
He is one of TV's most popular comedians, best known for The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, The Ranganation, Rob and Romesh Vs, Avoidance and as the host of The Weakest Link and A League Of Their Own.
The comic is now returning to his first love of stand-up comedy with his Hustle tour which begins in January 2024.
You can read the full interview in this week's Radio Times out now.
