British comedian and television personality Judi Love is preparing to embark on an extensive 23-date tour across the UK with her new show All About the Love, using humour as a powerful tool to process past trauma and connect with audiences.
From Dark Beginnings to Comedy Spotlight
The 45-year-old comedian recently shared a deeply personal story from her teenage years during a work-in-progress performance in Bedford. Love revealed she was kidnapped at age 17 by a man she met while studying IT at college, though she occasionally adds a couple of years when recounting the experience on stage.
"He was damn crazy," Love reflected during our Zoom interview from her south-west London home. "We didn't do red flags then. He just had some issues, but I wanted to nurture, and didn't recognise the warnings."
The terrifying incident began during their second date when the six-foot-four man forced her upstairs and into a shower, holding her hostage for nearly 48 hours. "You try to convince yourself it isn't happening," she recalled, shaking her head. "And then: oh, it actually is."
Laughter as Healing Mechanism
Despite the traumatic nature of her experiences, Love approaches them with what she describes as an "everything-is-an-anecdote" attitude that defines her appeal as both presenter and comedian. Her ability to switch between serious sincerity and infectious laughter has become her trademark.
"What I've learned now I'm a 45-year-old woman," Love explained, "is that traumas I've gone through remain in my system. It's laughter that's helped me. Bringing the funny out of it all might allow someone else to also laugh, to lose that shame, to forgive themselves and to heal."
This philosophy forms the foundation of her upcoming tour, which begins on 12 February and runs through 24 May, including a performance at London's Eventim Apollo on 19 June.
Juggling Comedy with Single Parenthood
Life hasn't always been about television studios and sold-out performances. Before becoming a TV mainstay, Love was a single mother juggling standup comedy with care work. She worked extensively in social care, supporting young offenders, children in the care system, and mental health services.
"I've been a single parent for like, 20 years, and it's exhausting," she confessed, referencing her two children, now aged 20 and 16. "I'm fucking tired. Money and success doesn't take away the emotion of my kids not growing up with their dad."
Her journey into comedy began around 2011, following a period of depression after her mother's death in 2009. "I was lost," she remembered. "I'd grown up as 'Judi with the sick mum', but then she died. Who was I now?"
Breaking Barriers in British Comedy
Love's career represents significant progress for Black women in British comedy. In 2024, she became the first Black British female comic to sell out the London Palladium, a milestone she hopes to replicate at the Eventim Apollo next year.
"When that was put out there," Love recalled, "I said, are you sure? Sure sure? There've been so many others who could and should have done all this." She acknowledges predecessors like Gina Yashere and London Hughes who felt compelled to move to America to advance their careers.
Despite her success, Love faces ongoing challenges in the industry. "I'm also constantly called the wrong name," she revealed, "confused for another Black woman. It doesn't matter how rich or successful I am: bitch, you're Alison Hammond today."
As she prepares for her extensive tour, Love continues to balance multiple roles - mother, entertainer, public figure, and groundbreaker - while staying true to the authenticity that has defined her career. Her story serves as testament to the healing power of laughter and the resilience required to transform personal trauma into comedic triumph.
