Radio 2 star Romesh Ranganathan details his battle with suicidal thoughts as he ... trends now
Romesh Ranganathan has opened up about his mental health, as he explained helping others to deal with their own issues has motivated him to take part in the London Marathon on Sunday.
The comedian, 46, has been left suicidal in the past having been through some incredibly turbulent times.
And he has now challenged himself to run the Marathon in aid of mental health charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably).
The BAFTA award winner has been a patron of the charity since October 2023 after revealing his own battle.
Speaking to Gabby Logan on BBC Sport ahead of the race, Romesh explained his motivation for running.
Romesh Ranganathan has opened up about his mental health, as he explained helping others to deal with their own issues has motivated him to take part in the London Marathon on Sunday
The comedian, 46, has been left suicidal in the past having been through some incredibly turbulent times
And he has now challenged himself to run the Marathon in aid of mental health charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)
He said: 'I've talked about it a few times, I came close to taking my own life in the past and it's something I feel strongly about in terms of mental health issues.
'And Calm is a really great charity for raising awareness and so it was both about raising the money and just raising the awareness of the work that they do, so that's why I'm running.'
Romesh added that he would be matching the money donated, saying: 'And, I do want to say, whatever donations I get I'm going to match them.'
He then hurriedly added: 'To a limit obviously, I don't want to lose my house over this.'
Gabby asked: 'What's your limit?' causing the comic to admit: 'I don't know, let's just see what happens!'
The sports presenter cheekily teased: 'Did you say a million to me before?' causing Romesh to laugh and quickly deny: 'No Gabby I didn't say that!'
Speaking about what time he hoped to complete the race in, Romesh quipped: 'My target time is to finish while the roads are still closed. That is the aim for me, if I get that, that's me done.'
Sharing his training with his followers over on Instagram before Sunday's main event, Romesh admitted: 'I said I’d never run a marathon but here I am.
Speaking to Gabby Logan on BBC Sport ahead of the race, Romesh explained his motivation for running and added that he would be matching the money donated
He then hurriedly added: 'To a limit obviously, I don't want to lose my house over this' as Gabby cheekily teased: 'Did you say a million to me before?' causing Romesh to quickly deny: 'No Gabby I didn't say that!'
'I’m not sure where I’d be today if I didn’t get help when I hit rock bottom. In fact, I don’t know if I’d be here at all.
'So, I want to help to make sure more people know about CALM’s life-saving services, as well as raising as much money as I can.'
Last February, Romesh admitted he has regularly thought about taking his own life due to a 'horrific' voice in his head.
Appearing on "The Diary of a CEO podcast, he discussed the challenges he's faced through out his life, while adding that they have provided him with endless material for his sell-out shows.
During the intimate conversation, Romesh said: 'I was thinking about taking my own life regularly, and I'd fantasise about it...
'I think that all comedians are wired slightly differently. They've had something happen to them that has made them an outsider in some way.'
Speaking on his successful career as a comedian, he said: 'I'm addicted to doing stand-up. And it makes me better at everything.
'But... I've got this inner voice that is horrific. It will say, "you're not a very good Dad, you're not a very good husband."
Last February, Romesh admitted he has regularly thought about taking his own life due to a 'horrific' voice in his head (pictured in 2022)
