Romesh Ranganathan has a few secrets that fans may not know.

From his tattoo obsession to his heartbreaking health battle, the 46-year-old comedian has experienced numerous ups and downs throughout his life – with his rarely seen wife always by his side.

The father-of-three will be back on our screens tonight (Saturday 17 August) when he hosts the relaunched quiz show The Weakest Link, in which he tests the general knowledge of celebrities. OK! takes a look at the comedian’s private life off the stage …

Romesh’s current wife worked in the drama department while he taught mathematics – but their connection turned out to be pure chemistry.

After saying “I do” in 2009, the happy couple went on to have three children – Theo, Alex and Charlie. Their youngest child was born at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary while Romesh was performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In a chat with the Mirror in 2018, Romesh revealed his secret to a happy marriage: “being away for long periods of time,” joking that he was “more attractive” as a husband when he was away from home.

While Leesa prefers to keep a low profile, Romesh has given fans a glimpse into their married life – and even revealed some intimate details about their bedroom escapades. In a 2020 column for The Guardian, Romesh recalled a stand-up performance in which he joked about their “sex life, or lack thereof.”

Romesh wrote: “I remember her looking at her face in the audience, completely calm, and then looking over at our friends, who looked utterly horrified at the prospect of going out to dinner with a couple who they now knew were definitely not going to have sex with when they got home.”

Fortunately, Leesa considers such frank confessions to be “purely funny,” although Romesh admits that some of her friends think he’s an “asshole.”

All joking aside, fans are touched to hear Romesh attribute the success of his comedy career to his wife, Leesa. In a 2018 interview with Marie Claire, Romesh spoke about a particularly difficult time when he quit his job as a math teacher and his father passed away three days before he was due to leave.

He went deeper into the difficulties they faced, revealing that he couldn’t “focus” on work and even added that their car was “taken away.” But Romesh says Leesa always believed in him and without her, he “wouldn’t have become a comedian.”

Heartbreaking battle for health

In April this year, Romesh took on the 2024 London Marathon for a cause close to his heart: supporting the charity CALM – Campaign Against Living Miserably. Romesh, who has been associated with CALM since 2023, chose them because of their work, which is close to his heart.

In an interview with Gabby Logan on BBC Sport, Romesh spoke openly about his personal connection to the charity’s mission, explaining: “I’ve spoken about it a few times. I’ve been close to taking my own life in the past and it’s something that’s really close to my heart in terms of mental health issues. And Calm is a really great charity when it comes to raising awareness. So for me it was as much about raising money as it was just raising awareness of the work they do. That’s why I’m running.”

In early February 2023, the comedian bravely shared his struggle with dark thoughts in an emotional chat on the podcast “The Diary Of A CEO.” Romesh spoke openly about having considered taking his own life more than once.

He further confessed that despite all the challenges, stand-up comedy dominates his life and that he is “addicted” to stand-up, but that he has an “inner voice that is terrible.”

Remember, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and need someone to talk to, the Samaritans offer a free helpline which operates 24 hours a day on 116 123. You can also email [email protected] or visit the Samaritans website for details of your local branch.

Ink Honors

In a candid article for The Guardian in 2019, the comedian shared his tattoo obsession, revealing that he has the names of his two eldest sons inked on his skin. He shared that both he and his wife Leesa had planned to get tattoos after the birth of their first child, but “she messed it up.”

Romesh confessed: “I got another tattoo when my second son was born, but I don’t have one for our youngest yet. The clock is ticking because he’s learning to read now and he’ll be disappointed when he discovers that I’ve got not only his brothers’ names inked, but also Richard Pryor, Nas, the Roots and the Transformers Autobot logo before I get around to tattooing him.”

Watch The Weakest Link on Saturday at 7.05pm on BBC One.

If you are affected by any of the issues described in this story, you can contact Samaritans in the UK and Ireland on freephone 116 123 or email [email protected] or [email protected].