Adelle Onyango, the Kenyan podcaster and content creator, has spoken candidly about the breakdown of her marriage to Falgun Bhojak and the profound impact it had on her mental health.

Onyango, a former radio presenter, reflected on family traditions during an appearance on The Moth, recalling Christmases with her late mother and how those rituals shaped her sense of home.

“It’s Christmas Eve in my home in Nairobi, Kenya, and something strange is happening. Mummy is in the kitchen; I watch her open her oven and garnish the chicken with rosemary,” she said, describing the warmth of family gatherings and the void left after her mother’s death.

She and her sisters tried to keep the traditions alive, buying gifts and decorating the tree, but admitted it never felt quite the same without their matriarch.

The podcaster explained that those traditions became non-negotiable when she entered a relationship with Bhojak, a man from a different cultural background.

By their third year together, she had openly set out her deal breakers: every Christmas must be spent with her family.

“If you do not like it, leave now,” she told him, determined to hold on to the rituals that eased her grief.

Despite her outspoken feminist views and public persona, Onyango insisted on preserving that link to her mother.

Cracks in the Foundation

Yet cracks emerged. Onyango admitted she disliked the apartment they shared; it “never felt like home.” The first two Christmases together were positive, but by the third, the marriage itself felt increasingly unfamiliar.

She described a confrontation in which her husband accused her of withdrawing from the relationship — she had stopped wearing her wedding ring, refused to take his surname and did not want children.

“You’ve refused to give me the three things that make a marriage,” she recalled him saying, listing a child, a shared name and the ring as symbolic expectations.

Onyango ultimately moved out and the divorce was fraught, exacting a toll on her physical and mental wellbeing.

READ MORE: 'Grieving my mum helped me figure my identity' - Adelle Onyango

Battling Mental Health

In 2023 the media personality spoke in detail about her battles with depression and suicidal ideation on her podcast Legally Clueless.

She recounted how, despite professional success — launching books and working with international organisations — her personal life was collapsing, producing “the strongest suicidal thoughts” she had ever experienced. She remembered clinging to small goals to survive:

“Let’s just make it to Thursday,” she told herself before a therapy session that proved emotionally overwhelming.

The 34-year-old described crying through the appointment and emphasised that recovery was gradual; she did not feel instantly better but persevered.

Advocating for Compassion

Now an advocate for mental health, Onyango uses public platforms to normalise conversations about struggle and recovery.

Captioning an Instagram post, she wrote, “I’m glad I’m still here,” and encouraged others to seek help, offering to share therapist contacts and resources.

Reflecting on her journey, she urged compassion: “Be kind; you don’t know what people are fighting.”

Her honesty continues to resonate, reminding audiences that vulnerability can be a source of strength. Her story remains a powerful reminder of resilience and hope.