Romesh Ranganathan has revealed he came ‘very close to ending’ his life.
The actor, comedian and presenter is best known for appearing on shows including A League of Their Own, Taskmaster, and Have I Got News for You, as well as hosting The Weakest Link.
Before pursing a career in the entertainment industry Romesh worked as a mathematics teacher.
However, the 47-year-old has now spoken about his battles with mental health in his late teens.
‘When I was 18 or 19 years old, I feel like I came very close [to] ending my life,’ he said.
‘I just couldn’t see the point in carrying on. I was super depressed. Then I started to do suicide ideation, where you start to fantasise about it.
‘The best way I can describe it, when I thought about taking my own life, it felt like a weight was being lifted,’ he added when speaking to Runners World UK.
He went on to share that mental health was still ‘something I am still aware of’ and that it was an ‘ongoing struggle’.
Romesh explained he still had to ‘stay on top of it’ and while he felt ‘privileged’ for his life now, he can sometimes feel ‘darkness in my head or anxiety creep in’.
He’s previously detailed his struggles with mental health, telling the Campaign Against Living Miserably (Calm) in 2023 what led to his suicidal ideations.
‘Back when I was a teenager I was faced with a turbulent time at home when my dad was sent to prison. A lot of stuff built up and some rubbish A-level results were the icing on a shitty cake. It felt like things turned to crap pretty swiftly,’ he said.
‘It was around this time that I seriously thought about taking my own life. I’d fantasise about a time when I didn’t feel like shit and taking my own life seemed like the only way to achieve that. There’s no getting around it, in those moments when you feel that low it feels like an instant way to make it go away.’
He went on to share he’d become a Calm patron as he ‘didn’t want anyone to struggle alone like I did for so long’.
The full interview can be read in the May issue of Runner’s World UK, on sale now.
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