MARTIN KEMP: ALL MY EARLY PARENTING WAS DONE OVER FAX

Martin Kemp is a bit of a showbiz Renaissance man. Bassist in New Romantic pop sensation Spandau Ballet; Steve Owen in long-running soap EastEnders; and now a rising star of reality TV alongside his son, Capital Breakfast DJ Roman Kemp, 27 (he also has a daughter, Harley, with wife Shirlie). Kemp has teamed up with Specsavers to find the nation’s ‘smile-makers’ – people whose everyday acts of kindness lit up an otherwise gloomy year (winners will get £1000 plus a video call with Martin and Roman).

We caught up with Kemp, 59, to talk about staying positive mid-pandemic, his very varied career, and why above all else he’s a family man…

Have you struggled with cabin fever during the pandemic?

“Definitely during the second lockdown. During the first lockdown, I kept myself busy and it was kind of new and bright and sunny, which made it easier for people with gardens. The second one I found really difficult, staying indoors while it’s grey and rainy. You need something to cheer yourself up.”

Do you have any coping strategies?

“Yeah – to try and get to the gym as much as possible. When they closed, I set one up on my patio, with a bike, some weights and a bench, just to get my adrenaline going. The older you get, the more you realise that the gym isn’t just physical, it’s about mental wellbeing too. That’s my strategy with everything – when I find myself in a hole, go to the gym and work it out.” Is there anything else you do to try and stay positive?

“I love music – I write a lot of songs when I’m at home, and play piano and guitar. I also wrote a book during lockdown with Shirlie that came out recently, and I’m working on another.”

What was it like working with your son Roman earlier this year?

“Oh, it was wonderful. We did Gogglebox and Sunday Best! – and those two shows kept me sane really, because we were in lockdown while filming them. We created our own bubble, so Roman would come over and we would shoot, but it was obviously more than work for me. Like a lot of people, we didn’t see most of our family, but I could see Roman because of this bubble.”

How did you manage parenting when you were on the road?

“When I was away with the band, it was difficult. All my early parenthood was done over a fax machine, as we didn’t have mobiles in those days. I used to send Harley puzzles and jokes and drawings to keep in touch. More recently, I’ve found that going away can sometimes be a good thing, because it makes everybody appreciate you when you come back. Absence can make the heart grow stronger.”