Romesh Ranganathan's wife Leesa has been a constant presence in his life since they met as teachers, but the comedian has revealed that his career once threatened to ruin their marriage. The couple, who married in 2009, have three children together, and Romesh has credited Leesa's support for his success while also admitting that the demands of his work led to a period of emotional distance.
How Romesh and Leesa Met
Romesh and Leesa met while both were working at the same secondary school, where he taught maths and she taught drama. After marrying in 2009, the couple welcomed three children: Theo, Alex, and Charlie. In 2018, Romesh praised Leesa for her unwavering support, telling Marie Claire that he would not have had a successful comedy career without her.
He recounted a difficult period when he resigned from his teaching job to pursue stand-up, only for his father to pass away three days before he was due to leave. "I wasn't able to focus on work, we couldn't pay the bills, and our car was taken away, but Leesa never showed a lack of faith," he said. "Without her support, I wouldn't have been a comedian."
The Strain of Comedy on Their Marriage
In 2024, Romesh candidly opened up to the Mirror about how his career in comedy nearly ruined his marriage. He admitted that he and Leesa had to work at "being really in love" again, acknowledging that he often came home exhausted from touring and failed to make an effort.
"You can say you're tired, fine, but you need to be making a bit of an effort, and that definitely slipped," he said. He also described periods when their conversations were purely functional, saying, "There have been months. If not the best part of a year, when you are talking to each other for functional reasons... We stopped investing in our relationship."
Getting Back to Being in Love
Speaking to Gabby Logan on her podcast The Mid-Point, Romesh reflected on the struggles they faced. "Going fine isn't good enough, really. You are not having a relationship," he explained. He noted that there were times when the relationship was "a relationship in name only," though he insisted he has never stopped being in love with Leesa.
Despite the difficulties, Romesh said Leesa never told him to give up his career. "Even if times were hard, and it did go wrong for a while, she has never said 'you need to stop'," he shared. Romesh can be seen on Celebrity Traitors on BBC One and iPlayer.
