Ronni Ancona's name isn't as glamorous as it sounds...

Ronni Ancona’s surname might sound glamorous to British ears  – but it’s not quite the same in Italy.

‘Everyone here goes "that’s exotic",’ the comedian and EastEnders actress told the Table for Four podcast, in comments picked up by The Times diary column. 

‘But Ancona is a smelly fish port with a bad football team on the Adriatic.’

‘It’s like being called Ronni Grimsby, so most Italians you say it to, they usually go: "Ancona. Oh."’

Published: 12 Jul 2026