Roman Kemp knows all too well the difficulties that come with being famous, and sadly one of those things is something many would not expect: loneliness.
The Capital radio star, 30, is part of one of the UK’s top showbiz families thanks to parents Martin and Shirlie Kemp, meaning he was aware of the trials and tribulations of celebrity from a young age.
Now having forged a successful career of his own on the airwaves as well as on the telly, Roman has admitted that fame is not all it’s cracked up to be and has revealed the sad truth about his dad’s inner circle – or lack thereof.
Speaking about his Spandau Ballet and EastEnders star dad, who has been a household name since the 1980s, Roman said: ‘My upbringing gave me an opportunity to see that that the world isn’t as nice as people think it is. If someone thinks about fame, they think about the best parts of it.
‘Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a sob story for famous people – they do have it good. But it’s also very lonely.
Roman added to the Radio Times Podcast: ‘My dad does not have one friend. He lives his life like that because he’s had so many people in his life that he thought he could trust, then realised he couldn’t.’
‘My dad’s favourite person is my mum!’
However, despite Martin, 61, only really being able to rely on his Pepsi & Shirlie star wife, also 61, Roman added that his parents being celebrities did have perks in his childhood.
‘I’ve hit the jackpot with my parents. I’m so privileged,’ he said.
‘I got every birthday present I ever wanted. I went on amazing family holidays.
‘I had a celebrity experience as a kid. But the thing my parents have taught me, which I want to pass down to my children, is how to love and how to understand someone else’s point of view.’
Roman, who grew up with older sister Harley Moon, a singer, has been in the public eye himself for nearly 10 years, since joining Capital FM in 2014.
He also appeared in the I’m A Celebrity jungle in 2019, has appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox with his dad, and recently added a few more strings to his bow as the host of new BBC gameshow The Finish Line, and last week he was also unveiled as a new presenter on The One Show.
However, to some people, he is the product of his parents’ fame – a nepo baby, if you will (short for nepotism baby).
But Roman shrugged off such comments, admitting that he himself falls victim to that mindset with other celebrity offspring.
‘It’s part of nature for people to say you got this because of this person,’ he said.
‘I’ve thought like that! When Brooklyn Beckham released a photography book, I thought, “How has he done that? It’s because his dad is David Beckham.”
‘People do the same to me. He might be the most talented person in the world – it’s just my small-mindedness.’
The Radio Times Podcast, out now.
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