Richard Osman opens up on heartbreaking 40-year addiction after father left as a child

Richard Osman has candidly spoken about an addiction that has plagued him for over 40 years.

The British author confessed that he has struggled with it since he was just nine years old, coinciding with the time that his father left the family, following an affair.

Admitting that the problem was an 'ever-present' in his life, the writer and TV presenter told Elizabeth Day's How To Fail podcast: "By and large, addiction is running away from your pain."

Richard Osman was candid about his addiction. (David Levenson/Getty Images)

Osman revealed that his addiction was with food, and said he has constantly struggled with overeating throughout his teen and adult years.

The 53-year-old began: "It's so ridiculous, this food stuff.

"Alcoholics will tell you the same, like it's absurd that there's a bottle of vodka in front of you or there's a packet of crisps in front of you and it's more powerful than you. It makes no sense."

Osman also said that a lot of the problem lies with people in this world, and how judgemental they can be, saying that everyone is 'crazy' in different ways.

He also told Day that people that approach him about the issue are all women, who say that their male partners relate to it, but would never have talked about it if not for Osman's admission.

The TV personality labelled his relationship with food and his weight as the 'drum beat' of his life, tracing the issue back to the moment that his father walked out on the family.

The author admitted he struggled with overeating throughout his teen and adult years. (Getty/Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Osman continued: "I was in a lot of pain, clearly, but do you know what, I was nine, ten.

"I don't want to be in pain particularly, I don't want to miss my dad, I want to go, 'this is okay, everything's fine'."

He said that the more than you deny the truth, the further the leap you have to make later on in life to make it back.

Talking about his recovery, Osman admitted that he started therapy later in life, and though he has relapses, he knows how to cope with it and not let it get the better of him.

He said: "I don't have any personal shame any more. Addiction is shame.

"You'll over-eat, you'll feel shame about that. Shame makes you over-eat. It's a spiral.

"So you have to learn to absolutely just cut it off at the source, and if you do feel shame, just to go, 'that's all right' because shame leads to more shame. I have to accept that it's not embarrassing."

He has traced the addiction back to when his father left the family following an affair. (Joe Maher/Getty Images)

During an appearance on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Osman talked about when his father left, saying: "My father left when I was quite young, when I was about nine. And that was probably the end of that innocence, I suspect."

He would travel by coach to see his father, who moved from Sussex to Rugby, but cut the relationship off after a while.

Osman made up with his father after he himself had children in his twenties.

Despite the fact that he is still coping with his addiction 'non-stop', he said it's so frequent that it's not even noticeable, and he's either in control or he's not.

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article and would like to speak with someone in confidence, call the BEAT Eating Disorders helpline on 0808 801 0677. Helplines are open 365 days a year from 9am–8pm during the week, and 4pm–8pm on weekends and bank holidays. Alternatively, you can try the one-to-one webchat