Roman Kemp: Are You Really OK?

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It was a pleasure to be joined by Roman Kemp to give a fascinating internal talk as we round off our Mental Health Awareness Month. Roman spoke to a member of our Thrive network committee for a frank and open conversation about mental health and suicide. We heard from Roman about why he has become an advocate for mental health and Roman discussed topics such as masking his own personal experiences of suicidal thoughts. Thank you to Roman for such an engaging session. The 30-year-old, who has hosted his own breakfast show on the radio station since 2017, lost his colleague to suicide in August 2020, aged 31. In 2021, Roman presented a BBC Three documentary exploring the mental health crisis facing young men and revealed he had considered taking his own life after battling depression for more than a decade. Tony is lovely,” he says. “He is a lovely man. I will always, always love him, in the same way I love all the rest of the band. But you drift apart, don’t you?” He presented the 2023 BBC documentary Boot Dreams: Now or Never, about young footballers trying to gain a professional contract. [24] Since July 2023, Kemp has co-presented the quiz show The Finish Line on BBC1 with Sarah Greene. [25] Personal life [ edit ]

Martin Kemp's son, who was recently announced as a permanent presenter on The One Show with co-host Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas, has been open about his struggle with depression after the death of his close friend and Capital FM producer Joe Lyons. Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.) Kemp thinks he gets his approach from his own father, a printer, who was encouraging and nonjudgmental. In the early Spandau days, when Kemp was heading for the front door in a crimplene dress and makeup, he would call out: “Goodnight!” hoping to provoke his dad’s disapproval. But his dad would only glance up from his chair and say: “Have you got your keys?” Read more: Roman Kemp told 'so proud of you' as he makes emotional plea to government after depression battle Roman’s other work includes narrating the ITV2 reality show Bromans (2017), voicing the UK and Global series of Takeshi’s Castle (1986-1990; 2018), and appearing on the ‘showbiz’ segment of This Morning (1988-). Roman Kemp Corporate WorkThis was a really great read. I watched Roman and started to become aware of him after I'm a Celebrity. I'm not a big Capital radio fan so wasn't aware of him as such but knew who he was because of his Dad mainly, but it's clear he doesn't really like people to associate him as for who his parents are and actually he turned down an offer to go in I'm a Celeb 3 years previous because he felt he hadn't made himself enough of a character and a place in the world and people would just know him as Martin Kemp's son, which is very admirable. Whilst I’ve seen Roman in programmes such as DNA Journey and the documentary he did on mental health and suicide, I don’t listen to Capital Radio and so that side of his story was interesting to me. And I know of his parents and enjoyed their music but they were necessarily a family I followed (figuratively of course), but it was a real eye opener learning about them as people rather than just their names. I really appreciate his honest in every area but particularly about his upbringing. He’s aware that he’s had a privileged life that not everyone has and I really like how he’s been honest about the positives and negatives of that fact, without sounding spoilt or patronising. It’s a nice balance. Oh, it was “the most disappointing thing!” Kemp says. “I wanted my dad to say: ‘You can’t go out like that!’” But he never did. “Not once.”

Before that, Kemp says, pretty cheerfully, “I came second in everything”. We’ve been talking about his and Gary’s Porsches, which must have looked magical parked outside the family’s council house in Islington, north London. Gary bought first, and chose red. “Yeah, I was the blue one,” Kemp says, and all of a sudden he does sound blue. The red one was “the perfect 80s car”. The broadest message is that simply having conversations can help men overcome the sense of feeling entrapped by life. Talking, whether it be on the phone, in person or via text, is often life-saving. Providing a platform to allow them to share their feelings by instigating a conversation is vital. Mind, the mental health charity, shared this message with us after watching the show These days, if people think of the Kemps, they are more likely to picture Martin and his son Roman than Martin and Gary. He has surely overtaken his brother. “No. We’re a dynasty, I think,” Kemp says. And, sounding as if he is remembering how things were settled in childhood, adds: “We take it in turns.” Painful. Difficult. Confronting. Hopeful. Optimistic. Promising. Empowering. This is all things in spades and a must-read for everyone. Books like these, potential lifesavers. That's what counts.

In the documentary Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency, Kemp revealed that he came close to attempting suicide after battling with depression for 13 years. [26] Kemp is a supporter of Arsenal F.C. [27] Filmography [ edit ] Television [ edit ] Year Prior to his presenting career, Roman was a successful model, working for the likes of Dropdead and Topman. In 2020, he teamed up with Topman to launch his own collection of bandanas in collaboration with mental health charity Mind.

Now that he is mostly playing himself – in books, and in all those reality TV shows and presenting roles – he feels much better about being recognised. With the band he used to feel he was “never putting enough of me into it”. “Now it’s different,” he says. “Someone sees me and waves, that’s great. Am I coming into my own? I think I’m a lot more relaxed about life.” This is book is part discussion of mental health issues and part autobiography (recognising that Roman was 29 when he wrote this). Roman is clearly living a highly privileged life and I don't begrudge him that. That being said it doesn't put him in a good position to write a book on the subject of mental health for the masses. Possibly the best part of the book I read was that in which he shares his experiences of his friend and colleague dying by suicide. This is real and an experience that cuts across class divides. That being so folk in Roman's position are very much better equipped to cope with loss since access to mental health support in the UK and much of the world depends, to a large extent, on how wealthy you are. Roman simply can't speak to the experiences that the majority of those struggling with mental health face and as such the book perpetuates the narrative that if we all just got our mates talking a bit more or went for an extra walk everything would be alright.If you’re feeling suicidal, and you don’t feel you can keep yourself safe right now, seek immediate help. Go to any hospital A&E department, or call 999 and ask for an ambulance if you can’t get there yourself. Keep yourself safe by removing any means of taking your own life while you learn how to cope with suicidal feelings. Speaking to Maitlis, he said: "It's such a difficult area for me to talk from because I am the definition of silver spoon, the definition of privileged. I had every hug that a son could get from their mum and dad.