Suzi Ruffell: ‘I thought I wouldn’t become a parent because I’m gay’
Happy Mum Happy Baby
Giovanna Fletcher
4.8 • 5.7K Ratings
🗓️ 5 August 2025
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Stand-up comedian, podcaster and author Suzi Ruffell joins us for this week’s episode!
Suzi tells Gi about the lack of queer representation she saw growing up and how it made her feel shame around her sexuality for a long time.
Plus, she opens up about navigating motherhood as someone with anxiety and the ongoing challenge of learning not to catastrophise.
Suzi's brilliant new book 'Am I Having Fun Now? is available NOW! And she is of course back on tour with 'The Juggle' from September. Check it out!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Coming up on Happy Mom, Happy Baby. |
| 0:04.0 | I think growing up thinking that I probably wouldn't become a parent because I'm gay, |
| 0:10.2 | to some listeners might sound surprising now, maybe some younger listeners it might. |
| 0:15.1 | But when I was growing up, there was no positive representation of lesbians. |
| 0:20.0 | Part of me was that I guess this is all I deserve. I guess I deserve this sort of version of love because the idea of being out was unthinkable. You use the words ashamed and embarrassed. Yeah, totally. Totally. I mean, I was well into my 30s before I really got rid of the shame I felt around being gay. Don't say no. Never say no to anything. |
| 0:38.5 | You just don't want to upset anyone? |
| 0:39.7 | Yeah. |
| 0:40.0 | And also, look, what about it goes away? What about if the word goes away? They'll never ask again. They'll never ask again. And then you'll have to turn to the bottle. And then all of a sudden you're in a pub and it's 12 o'clock. Your marriage has fallen apart. I mean, look, I catastrophize, sure. |
| 0:35.7 | This episode is brought to you by the LTA. |
| 0:39.1 | This summer, it's This episode is brought to you by the LTA. |
| 0:56.5 | This summer, it's time to fall back in love with tennis. |
| 1:00.1 | Whether you're rallying the group chat to get off your phone and onto the court, |
| 1:04.2 | enjoying the summer holidays with a family activity, |
| 1:06.9 | or hitting the court for a lunchtime workout, |
| 1:09.7 | tennis is one of the easiest, healthiest ways to get outside, |
| 1:13.6 | be sociable and get moving, no pressure, no dress code, just have fun. |
| 1:18.5 | And it's way closer than you might think. |
| 1:20.9 | There are over 3,000 park courts across the UK, |
| 1:24.6 | and most people have one right on their doorstep. Search, book a tennis court |
| 1:29.6 | to find your local park court now. This episode of Happy Mum, Happy Baby is brought to you by |
| 1:35.2 | vintage inns. Now, as a mum, I know just how tricky it can be to find that perfect pub, one where |
| 1:42.0 | the kids are happy but you still get to enjoy a delicious meal, |
... |
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