Martin Kemp told son he “worries” about his as he continues to raise awareness about mental health. The 32-year-old One Show star has candidly discussed feeling “trapped” by depression and dealing with his own mental health struggles.
The One Show star Roman, 32, has been candid about feeling “trapped” by depression and how he dealt with his own mental health issues. In his documentary Our Silent Emergency, Roman revealed he once came close to attempting suicide. The documentary saw Roman confront the grief he felt when he learnt close friend Joe Lyons had taken his own life.
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Roman Kemp had been open about his mental health struggles (Image: ITV)
Roman has now been campaiging for more young people to speak up about their mental wellbeing, regularly giving speeches on the topic. Although on their, FFS! My Dad is Martin Kemp podcast, Roman’s father admits he does worry about the impact campaigning could have on his son, .
Former Spandau Ballet star Martin said: “I worry about you doing this, I worry about it. Because I know that, from being an actor, that when you convince yourself and talk about things so much that it would come down heavily on you, on your psychological health, that’s what I worry about from you doing this.
“I appreciate you doing it, and I think what you’re doing is great, but I worry about the effects on you.”
Roman says his own struggles came from “a traumatic experience” after Joe’s death. He added: “Reliving the trauma actually helps me. Like, the more I talk about it, the more it dilutes the story and you become semi-detached.
“It becomes what happens to you in your life. You’re more likely to understand that that was in the past, that’s happened.”
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Martin Kemp says he worries about his son (Image: Eamonn M. McCormack, Getty Images for Bauer)
Roman and Martin delved into the subject of masculinity and suicide, with Roman asserting his belief that mental health issues are not gender-specific. He shared insights from his discussions with emergency responders: “From the ones I have spoken to, they say 80 to 90 percent of callouts are female.”
He continued, highlighting a stark reality: “Out of the 100 percent of people that are saying that they want to kill themselves or they are at that point where they want to take their own life, the majority of them are female so, you then tell me is mental health a male or female problem.”
Martin raised the question of why suicide is often seen as a “man’s problem”.
According to mental health charity Mind, while women may be more prone to suicidal thoughts, men are three times more likely to die by suicide.
Martin and Roman Kemp host a podcast together (Image: Getty)
The charity also notes that individuals who identify as LGBTQ are at an increased risk of mental health issues, and a significant proportion of young women aged 16–24 report experiencing such problems.
Where to get help if you’re struggling
You don’t have to suffer in silence if you’re struggling with your mental health. Here are some groups you can contact when you need help.
: Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email [email protected] in confidence
: Phone 0800 1111. Calls are free and won’t show up on your bill
: For teens and young adults. Phone 0800 068 4141
: The charity offers useful resources for people struggling.
: For students who are depressed, have low mood, or are suicidal.
(CALM): Phone 0800 58 58 58. For young men who are feeling unhappy.
For information on your local NHS urgent mental health helpline, visit