From his days as a maths teacher to becoming the wise-cracking host of shows such as the BAFTAs and the BBC's Weakest Link , Romesh Ranganathan has established himself as one of Britain's most beloved TV personalities with his signature deadpan wit and self-deprecating jokes. Now 46, Romesh Ranganathan's journey to stardom was anything but smooth. He has spoken candidly about the hardships he faced in his youth, including how his seemingly stable family life unravelled, leading him to drop out of school, reports OK! .
With roots tracing back to Sri Lanka, Romesh's parents settled in the UK after his father completed his accountancy qualifications. Once living a "comfortable" existence in a lovely home and enjoying a somewhat "spoilt" upbringing with his brother, Romesh witnessed a drastic turning point when domestic bliss turned sour, remarking that "it all went a bit wrong". Penning an open and emotional narrative for the Big Issue, Romesh attributed the downward spiral of his early life to the dissolution of his parents' marriage, which cascaded into a series of misfortunes: "My parents' marriage broke up, our house got repossessed and my dad ended up going to prison.
This all happened very, very quickly. It was a struggle. My mum found out my dad had been messing around.
He fell into financial difficulty so we ended up getting our house taken away." He shared his experience of living in a B&B for over a year with his mum and brother while his dad was serving time in prison.