He is a man who wears many hats: comedian, presenter and actor. However in personal life he is very much a family man at heart. A personality who spreads love and laughter wherever he goes Ronnie Leitch achieved fame through his song ‘Thattaya’ for which he has also built up an image. He and his wife, Yvette, have been married for 31 years. Here she talks about what makes her robust husband tick.
In private life
Ronnie is a jovial person at home as well. He is very much like his public image. He makes us laugh loads. However there are times when he displays his temper when he gets annoyed. However on the whole he is a fun-loving person.
The family man
Ronnie loves spending time with his family. He has given our daughter, Keshiya, a lot of support in her acting career before she got married. She did a lot of dramas while she was at Bishop’s College. Our son, Keshan, is doing his MBA in business management at a private university in .
Since Ronnie and the children are out most of the day we usually have our dinner together. That is a special time of togetherness for us. We also attend church together. I am a Catholic and Ronnie is an Anglican but we attend each other’s church functions without any issues.
Ronnie is also very much into helping me around the house. He is the one who does the marketing in the house. He is very skilled at making great choices and bringing the best items home at a reasonable price. I am quite lost in that aspect!
The first meeting
Our meeting was way back in 1974. I was schooling at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, then. We used to live close to Ronnie’s place in Bellanvila and I had to pass his home on my way to school. I have seen him standing there. Though we had seen each other he was not interested to peruse me then because I was still schooling and he was busy with his work. He was not a well known personality at that time.
One day my cousin and I went to watch the Bellanvila perehara. Since the perehara passed that way we stood close to his house. He too came out and I met him there and then we began chatting a bit. We became fast friends. My father was thorough about me finishing my schooling, so Ronnie waited patiently till I am done with it. He came to our home after that a spoke to my father. He has taken me out a few times. We watched a film together once.
Wedding dates
We got married on June 7, 1986. Keshiya got married this year on June 8. She was aiming for the same date but there were problems with getting the band together. Therefore she had to shift to June 8 so that they too could be included in the event.
Most shocking moment
Ronnie was not in when Keshiya was born. He worked for the Defense Ministry in for six years. I was in but he visited once a year.
The Gypsies had been touring and they had met Ronnie there and requested him to come back to . Their band member, Piyal, had promised to write a good song for him. Ronnie had agreed but he did not know that he had to sacrifice his hair for the deed. The song was titled ‘Thattaya’ and became an instant hit in 1991. Ronnie became a part of the Gypsies Show too.
One day Ronnie went out and when he returned it was late night and he turned up without his hair! I was really shocked and outraged.
The bald head is a popular trend now but it was not so then. I was so upset that I didn’t even speak to him for a few days.
Ronnie could not grow his hair back because he had to perform to the song at every show. He had to keep up to the image as the ‘Thattaya’. I got used to it later. Now I feel that he looks much better bald.
Her favourite song from his collection
I really like ‘Thattaya’ because that was the one which rocketed him to fame. I also love Kauda Bole Alice.
Most romantic gesture
Ronnie has done a lot of things for my benefit and all that he does, he does from the heart. So everything he does is special for me.
Birthday celebrations
He usually gives me a lot of gifts for my birthday. The birthday cards he gives are especially prominent because they are huge. He purchases them from a shop close by. For almost every birthday he has given me gold jewellery items.
Favourite cuisine
I do all the cooking in the house. Ronnie loves traditional village food like jak, bread fruit, and tender jackfruit. He is suffering from a kidney problem so some types of food are not good for him. He is a fan of fried sprats. He also loves fish curry. I am not fussy about my meals but eat anything that I come across on my plate.
Animal lovers
We had two dogs. Champ passed away recently. Sheeba is still with us. Ronnie is not that much into animals. He treats them kindly, but he is not keen to touch them. I am a dog lover. Keshan too is really into dogs. Keshan got the dogs as gifts from Ronnie’s parents.
Christmas celebrations
Our whole family gets together for Christmas celebrations. Christmas 2016 was a sad affair for us because it will be the final Christmas that Keshiya would be with us. She will be moving to soon to be with her husband. Ronnie is especially close to her because she is our first born.
Temper wise
When Ronnie gets angry, he really gets angry. He expresses his anger by shouting at us, but luckily he cools down fast. I actually handle such situations by scolding back! After that drama his anger melts away. If I have an issue, especially about the children, I speak about it with Ronnie. He finds solutions to problems quickly.
Travelling
Ronnie goes on tours to take part in musical shows but I do not accompany him on tours. We have been to and for vacation. We are hoping to go to next. Vacations abroad are not an annual event. We splurge on one when we feel the need to have a break.
Popularity
Fans come up to talk to him whenever we are out. At times it does get in the way of our privacy but I have accepted the fact that it is part and parcel of his profession by now. I have not had any bad experiences with his fans so far. Ronnie has faced quite a number of experiences though. Once some girls have come up to say “Hi” to him and a few minutes after they had left he had found that they had pasted some chewing gum on his head.
An alternative profession
If Ronnie had not become a musician I think he would have gone for a normal office job. However right throughout his school days and afterwards he has been passionate about music and presenting. He did not have second thoughts about the career he wants to be in. He is close friends with Sunil and Piyal of the Gypsies. He is popular due to their efforts. He has always been a fan of yesteryear hits.
Add new comment