Richard Osman has spoken openly about his struggles with food addiction, despite admitting he would rather not "talk about these things". The broadcaster says he finds it difficult to discuss the issue, which he believes stems from his father's departure when he was nine years old, and which he characterises as "shameful".
Sharing prompts others to open up
The Thursday Murder Club author observed that sharing his experiences had prompted women to approach him about their husbands, who subsequently felt able to discuss their own difficulties. He told The i Paper: "I don't want to talk about these things, I really don't. It's not comfortable. People... well, no, women come up to me and tell me their husbands heard me talking about it and then opened up about their own issues."
Richard, who would consume chocolate bars in binges, explains that if he can "talk honestly about these moments when I've felt awkward and embarrassed and appalled at myself", he can "stop the doom loop of shame". He suggests it can make matters "so much worse" as you find yourself "anxious about being anxious" - and that the same downward spiral can occur with depression.
Addiction without 'doomed glamour'
He appeared to encapsulate the problem with an anecdote about "heroin gummies": "If they made heroin gummies, I'd get hooked - but to the sweets and not the heroin." Back in 2021, Richard opened up on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs about seeking therapy during his 30s to address his troubled relationship with food. He pointed out at the time that his addiction didn't have what he described as the "doomed glamour" of drugs or alcohol.
"But if an alcoholic came to my house, they would be shocked to see bottles of gin and bottles of wine, completely untouched. Because an alcoholic couldn't have that in their house. And if I came to your house and there were crisps or chocolate bars untouched in the fridge, I'd be like 'What? How are they untouched?' - if I'm going through an episode."
Controlling the addiction
Despite this, he maintains his addiction is "identical", highlighting the "secrecy of consuming" and the "shame" that accompanies it. "And food is a tricky one, because booze and drugs you can just give up. [It is] unbelievably difficult but [with] a zero tolerance policy." However, for those addicted to food or other "sustaining" substances, complete abstinence simply isn't an option, making it, as he put it, "quite a hard one" to overcome.
Speaking further about his problems, Richard said: "I'm either controlling it or not controlling it at any given time, and these days I control it more often than I don't, but it's actually quite hard and sometimes you do slip, but I try my best and I certainly have no shame about it now."
