Who are Russell Brand's parents, Ronald and Barbara? Family explored as new rape and sexual assault charges emerge

Russell Brand has been charged anew with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault of two further alleged victims. These are on top of the charges of two counts of rape, one of indecent assault, and two of sexual assault that he pleaded not guilty to last May. As his legal case expands, attention is focused on his parents, Ronald and Barbara.

The actor-comedian was born on June 4, 1975, in Essex, England. However, shortly after his birth, his parents separated, leaving his mother to raise him alone. His father, Ronald Henry Brand, a photographer, left the family when Russell Brand was still an infant.

When he was eight, his mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and then breast cancer the following year. While Barbara was being treated, Russell Brand lived with relatives and only saw his father through his sporadic visits.

At 14, he developed bulimia nervosa, or bulimia, an eating disorder that causes a person to eat large amounts of food at one time and then get rid of it by self-induced vomiting.

After enduring a difficult childhood and disagreements with his mother's new partner, he left home when he was 16.

Russell Brand's parents: Actor's "strange relationship" with father, mother's serious accident

In his memoir, My Booky Wook, Russell Brand chronicles his "strange relationship" with his father, particularly an experience in Thailand when he was 17, when Ronald took him to visit prostitutes during a trip to Thailand when he was a teenager.

The comedian adds in his book that his father's abandonment had an emotional impact on him and his behavior, leading him to struggle with addiction.

In 1991, Russell Brand was expelled from the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts during his freshman year due to bad behavior and drug use. He was also ejected from the Chang-Ren Nian in 1995. Since then, he has shifted to comedy.

Meanwhile, Russell Brand is close to his mother. In April 2018, he opened up about Barbara's serious car accident that prompted him to cancel his forthcoming shows at the time.

"My mum's been in a really serious road accident and has sustained what are being called 'polytraumatic injuries', that means numerous, life-threatening injuries. I can't imagine performing at the moment. I feel too sad and too connected to this. I apologise but obviously, it's circumstances beyond my control."

Per a report from The Sun, the accident occurred while Barbara was on her way to babysit at Russell's home.

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Later, Russell shared an update with his fans that his mother had made an "incredible recovery." That May, he spoke on Loose Women and revealed:

"She's done amazing. She had this terrible car crash. The geezer in the other motor legged it. She had a broken back, broken neck, eight ribs, she’s made an incredible recovery."

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