Richard Osman's therapist blunt advice amid 'addiction' and 'shame' battle
Richard Osman revealed that he was given frank advice by his therapist while confronting a food addition and discomfort over his height. The former Pointless presenter turned to therapy in his 30s to address his struggles with eating.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, the best-selling author noted that, unlike the "doomed glamour" often linked to alcohol or drug use, food addiction is rarely romanticised. Nevertheless, he admitted that his own experience was "identical" to that of someone battling alcoholism.
Richard opened up about the "shame" and "secrecy" that surrounded his struggle with addition. In a conversation with presenter Lauren Laverne, he recalled visiting a friend's house and wondering how they could leave chocolate bars "untouched" without temptation, the Express reports.
Although he has gotten professional help, Richard acknowledged that his relationship with food will likely remain a lifelong challenge.
He told Radio 4 listeners: "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."
The Thursday Murder Club author also reflected on a sense of feeling "directionless" throughout his thirties, despite being in a steady relationship and raising two children. Richard credits "years of therapy" for getting to a place where he finally felt "happy with himself."
At this time his therapist offered him some blunt advice about what was missing in the TV producer's life. Richard told The Sunday Times: "I'd spent years in therapy dealing with food addiction, feeling too tall, feeling like I couldn't see anything and feeling shame that in Brian Wilson's words, 'I wasn't made for these times.'"
"I got to a point where I was happy in myself and my work but my therapist said, 'You won't finish your journey until you're in a relationship'. He was right."
Richard had always wanted to feel "part of a team" - a desire that was fulfilled in 2022 when he met Doctor Who actress Ingrid Oliver during an appearance on his show House of Games.
He remembered being aware of Ingrid a year earlier but was told by his friend, comedian Lou Sanders, that she was already in a relationship. Although their contact had been minimal and limited to a single interaction on social media, Richard found her "very funny."
However, Richard found himself completely taken with Ingrid during her appearance on House of Games, especially after she responded to a question he had asked: "I'm looking for two rhyming answers. A musical instrument filled with rice played by shaking, and the capital of Venezuela."
When Ingrid answered with "Maracas and Caracas," Richard felt certain she was "the one."
Their connection deepened after the show, eventually ending in them tying the knot at the scenic Goodwood House in West Sussex in December 2022.
Describing the occasion as "very un-showbizzy," Richard said it was an intimate celebration surrounded by close friends and family. While on Desert Island Discs, Richard shared: "I'm happy with myself, I've got these beautiful kids, I've met the woman who I'm going to be with for the rest of my life."
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