Broadcaster and producer Jonathan Ross has been a regular fixture on our screens for decades, but who is he married to, and why did he split from his wife?
The presenter cemented himself as an icon of British television in the early 2000s when his eponymous chat show began airing on Friday nights. He hails from St Pancras, in north London, but spent his childhood in Leytonstone – out east.
Jonathan and his family have appeared together on Celebrity Gogglebox. Here, as he returns to front his Saturday night entertainment show, ED! takes a closer look at the star’s nearest and dearest…
Jonathan Ross’ daughter Betty’s health issues
The TV presenter discussed his daughter Betty’s health battles during an episode of Loose Women in 2022.
His daughter Betty was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2021. He told the panel that she had been undergoing the Perrin technique for treatment, which was leading to some improvement.
Before getting a diagnosis, the family thought she was suffering from Long Covid because of an overlap in terms of symptoms.
“She has chronic fatigue syndrome and POTS syndrome as well, which is where your heart rate shoots up,” he said.
POTS is short for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Symptoms include dizziness and fatigue. Chronic fatigue syndrome does basically what it says on the tin.
After some searching, they found a treatment for Betty.
“There’s a thing called the Perrin treatment. The guy who invented it, he came to talk to me about it and she looked it up online because she’s a smart young woman. She has to want to do the treatment.
“You know, I mean, I can’t just say to her ‘try this, try that’ if she thinks it’s wrong in some way. And if she’s not going to enter it one 100%, of course it’s not worth doing. But we’ve been having that treatment going on and she’s definitely showing some improvement,” he said.
The Guardian quotes him as saying depression was also an issue, as it often is with people who suffer from long-term illness.
Betty shared her diagnosis on Instagram in September 2021. “Shout out to the four people who all said they thought I had fibro, turns out y’all were right,” she wrote. “There’s always a lot of weird feelings that come with a new diagnosis, but this one overall feels like a relief.”
View this post on Instagram
Why Jonathan Ross and wife Jane Goldman briefly separated
Jonathan Ross married journalist and fellow broadcaster Jane Goldman in 1988, in Las Vegas. They have three kids, Betty Kitten, Harvey Kirby and Honey Kenny.
They were 26 and 16 when they met – Jonathan being the elder.
“When we first got together, she was very young,” he said on Loose Women.
“I wasn’t that old but I was considerably older and she came straight from home with her parents. And I think as the relationship carried on, I was sort of a parent figure as well as a husband.”
View this post on Instagram
The couple separated briefly in 1999, after a particularly stressful period in Jane’s struggle with depression.
They released a statement saying: “Jane, who suffers from depression, recently had a breakdown for which she checked into the Priory Clinic for treatment.
“As a result of this very stressful period a great deal of strain has been put on the marriage. Jane and Jonathan’s main concern at the moment is the happiness and security of their children,” it concluded, per the Express.
The couple soon reconciled and have appeared blissfully happy ever since.
Rarely seen son Harvey appeared with the family on Celebrity Gogglebox
Jonathan Ross and Jane Goldman’s youngest daughter, Honey, is a model, body positivity activist and podcast host.
She’s been on Loose Women too. During one appearance, she encouraged parents not to put their kids on diets.
“My advice to parents is keep that as far away from your children as possible,” she said. “If you want them to have a good relationship with food and their bodies growing up, do not shame them.”
But son Harvey has largely remained out of the limelight. The only exception was an appearance in two episodes of Celebrity Gogglebox, alongside his dad, sister Honey, and Honey’s boyfriend Zane Saz.
Viewers were impressed by the size of the Ross family sofa and the number dogs the family played host to at the time.
“Is that a bed? A sofa? I want one!!!” the Mirror quotes one social media user as writing. Another wrote: “Just trying to spot how many dogs Jonathan house amongst them blankets, I think it’s four.”
Famous siblings
Aside from his famous offspring, Jonathan’s siblings are also in the entertainment industry.
His brothers are TV presenter Paul Ross, actor Miles Ross, TV producer Simon Ross and Adam Ross, who works in the music industry. Meanwhile, Jonathan’s sister Liza.
His late mum Martha was also on the box – she played a market trader on EastEnders for more than 20 years.
The Jonathan Ross Show is on ITV1 Saturday nights at 9.20pm.
Share your thoughts on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.