Richard Osman has previously been vocal about his father leaving the family home when he was ten years old, and how it had impacted his childhood. According to the Daily Mail, the new book Letter to My Younger Self claims that his paternal grandmother cut off all contact with the family after his dad left – which his aunt, Mabel Osman, has since denied.
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Speaking to the newspaper, she explained: "Richard's gran loved him and wanted contact with him. After his father left, Brenda didn't want anything to do with any of us. It wasn't the Osman side who cut off contact at all.
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"Before the break-up, his gran would go to the family home to see Richard and his brother, but it all stopped. I don't think she ever wanted her son to marry Brenda. But she loved all her little grandchildren and would not have wanted to stop seeing Richard. She wasn't that kind of woman and would've done anything for her grandchildren. I'm sure she also sent him Christmas cards. Perhaps he never got them."
Richard has previously opened up about the difficult time in his childhood
The TV personality has previously opened up about his relationship with his dad, telling The Guardian: "When I was ten my dad called us into the living room and told us he was leaving [is the worst thing anyone has said to me]. No one has managed to top that. A big part of me is still in that room."
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Richard opened up about his life in Letter to My Younger Self
He also spoke about the book in a chat with editor Jane Graham, adding: "I remember very clearly when I was nine, and my world was a fairly great place, and I walked into the front room… and they just said, 'Look, your dad is in love with somebody else and he's leaving.' 'I just thought, 'Riiight, okay.' And he left and his entire side of the family never spoke to us again."
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