Latest news with #FFS!MyDadIs
Edinburgh Live
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Roman Kemp shares parents' money woes as dad Martin's brain tumours led to tough choice
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Roman Kemp has opened up about his parents' past money struggles and how his dad's brain tumour fight led to a difficult choice. In his new BBC Sounds podcast, 'You About?', Roman teams up with his musician friend, Tom Grennan, for what the former described as a "not very planned" format involving "two mates chatting about life". In the debut episode, Roman shared insights into his early life and status as the son of famous parents, Spandau Ballet bassist and EastEnders star Martin Kemp, and Pepsi & Shirlie's Shirlie Kemp. Tom quizzed his friend about the press presence in his younger years, prompting Roman to speak about how his dad suffered from a serious health condition and had to undergo operations "for his brain". (Image: Davefor Sony) He said: "You've got two ways of looking at it, basically. Like, it's one or the other. Like, my parents like had us in flipping OK! and Hello magazine when we were kids, right? "But that's because my parents had no money at the time, because my dad had all these operations and s**t for his brain, so they were trying to get more money, right?" Roman added that he wasn't allowed to visit the beach when they went on family holidays, further detailing how they'd frequently be bothered by paparazzi on boats with long-lens cameras. During a medical examination in 1997, when Martin was in his 30s, an MRI revealed that he had two brain tumours, one of which was removed with surgery, while the other was addressed via radiotherapy. Although these operations proved successful, the side effects continue to this day, with the musician suffering from epilepsy. Yet, speaking on the podcast FFS! My Dad Is Martin Kemp, he revealed he also has another condition. (Image: Getty Images Europe) He said: "I am completely dyslexic. I struggle to read, terribly." However, it seems that the condition has other impacts on Martin's life. "But my dyslexia, because it came from a physical thing that happened in my brain, it wasn't just about what I can read and what I can't read," he said. "It is about me finding my way as well." In November 2024, Martin made a stark revelation about his brain tumour battle, suggesting that he believes he has just 10 years left to live. At the time of the scare, he believed for two years that he was "going to die". Martin revealed that after his ordeal, he viewed "everything else", each day, year, and month that he lived, and every experience that he had as a "bonus". He added that by the time he reached 34 and thought he was going to die, he spent a long time "thinking about it" and had come to terms with the idea.
Edinburgh Live
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Martin Kemp claims Princess Diana 'copied me' as Roman slams 'outrageous statement'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Martin Kemp has claimed that the late Princess Diana copied the outfit choices of his old band in what his son described as an "outrageous statement". In a recent episode of FFS! My Dad Is Martin Kemp, the Spandau Ballet legend's son, presenter Roman Kemp, could be heard describing a "hilarious" picture of his dad from back in the day. Roman said Martin looked like he'd "gone to a Halloween party" dressed as "Captain Hook" before dubbing his dad's fashion choices as "awful", with Martin even admitting that it was the "worst picture" he had ever taken. Despite this, Martin also defended his outfits, suggesting that they didn't seem as "exaggerated" at the time. In fact, he claimed that he was something of a trendsetter, even influencing royalty. (Image: Getty Images) Martin said: "What you have to remember, right, was back in the 80s, it wasn't so exaggerated. We look at it now and we think, 'What are you wearing; you look like you're from a different planet'. But back in the day, Princess Di was copying what Spandau Ballet were wearing." Roman apparently found this hard to believe, calling it an "outrageous statement". However, Martin defended his claim: "Look at what she was wearing. She was wearing shoulder pads. She was wearing those ruff collar shirts, right, all of that." Yet, his son wasn't convinced, retorting that they "didn't invent that", but Martin was resolute in his convictions, saying he, in fact, invented it. The pair then bickered about the claim before Martin attempted to "clear it up". He added: "Alright then; I'm gonna clear it up - not Spandau Ballet, Martin Kemp. Martin Kemp invented it." He explained that his mum made him a shirt with shoulder pads before an appearance on Top of the Pops. Martin went on to claim that the following day, "everyone's got shoulder pads," although he conceded that he took the idea from somebody else, admitting that he first saw Steve Strange wearing them. (Image: Davefor Sony) In other news, Martin recently shared his simple technique for sleeping well - reciting a monologue. He made the revelation on a previous podcast episode after Roman revealed he was "too stressed" to sleep. Martin said: "What you need to do Ro, is learn something like a poem or a monologue. This is what I do, every single night when I go to bed, I will get in my bed and close my eyes and say this monologue I had on stage when I was acting." He explained that it was from a play he was involved in called Million Dollar Quartet. In the show, he has a monologue spanning two minutes, which he says "every night". His One Show star son then joked that it "must have been a boring play", to which Martin joined in by saying "it was". He went on to clarify: "The play was really good, it was a musical all about Elvis, it was good."
Wales Online
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Roman Kemp admits Great British Bake Off judges were 'worried' about him
Roman Kemp admits Great British Bake Off judges were 'worried' about him Roman Kemp has stunned audiences in recent days with his baking talents as he admits that he forgot what he was going to bake when he was asked by the show's producers Roman Kemp Roman Kemp has admitted that the producers of The Great British Bake Off were worried about him before his appearance on the show. Roman was talking about winning Star Baker in the Channel 4 show's celebrity special on the podcast he co-hosts with his father, 'FFS! My Dad Is Martin Kemp'. He told his dad following his victory: 'There's a lot of trophies that I've nearly won in my life, but that one. It was a stark contrast to your time on Bake Off. 'They were worried about me because I didn't practice and everyone had said to me 'You practiced that'. I swear on my life, I'm so lazy, I cannot think of anything worse. 'I had a call with the producers and they were like 'So what are you going to make?' I forgot we had this call so I didn't know what I was going to make so I made it up.' Article continues below Roman Kemp Despite his forgetfulness, Roman stunned audiences with his baking prowess and ability to bake magic from the ingredients presented to him. Despite the fact that Roman has made a successful career of his own in radio and television presenting, he has admitted in the past to fighting back against his nepo baby status. Talking to the Guardian about how he deals with critics who claim his fame is only down to his famous parents, he said: 'I could not give a f***, just take complete ownership of it. 'Every school I ever went into, every room I ever went into, people already had a preconceived idea of who I was and what I was like. So I never had anything to lose. 'Every school I went to was the same: 'He's a famous kid, famous dad, must have loads of money. Bet he gets anything he asks for.' So I always used to take pride in being, 'OK, here's all my faults. Have 'em. Enjoy'.'' Whilst he has been combative on the subject, Roman has told Martin the pressures of being his son on their shared podcast, telling his father that he feels the pressure of being his offspring. Martin Kemp After a quick back and forth, Roman ruminated about how to strike a balance between keeping one's ambition alive without losing yourself. He said: 'Can you maintain drive and ambition alongside being true to yourself and understanding who you are? Article continues below 'I struggle with that massively because I I just run myself into a moment where I'm like, 'I don't care anymore. I don't care. Like, sack it all off''.' Roman's admission of the struggle behind his stardom has led to him becoming an advocate for a proactive approach to mental health. His openness about struggling with his anxiety and taking anti-depressants has been credited with helping to increase positive awareness of the two conditions.
