‘It didn’t go well when I gave Shirlie jump leads for Christmas!’
Former Spandau Ballet and EastEnders star Martin Kemp confesses to his favourite festive prank and shares what he loves most about this time of year
He has been with his wife, former Wham! backing singer Shirlie, for 35 years after her best friend, the late George Michael, played cupid to bring the couple together. And Martin Kemp is still as in love now as he was back then, calling Shirlie “the most beautiful woman”.
Martin, 58, was a bass player with ’80s chart-toppers Spandau Ballet when they met, and the pair kept their romance alive via postcards while he toured. They married in 1988 and had two children – Harley Moon, 30, and Roman, 26.
JOKE PRESENT
And they still make an effort to make each other laugh. One Christmas, Martin shocked Shirlie, 57, with an unusual gift. “A couple of years ago, I bought her the worst present. I got her a set of jump leads for the car,” he tells Closer.
“She opened them, and it did not go down very well. But then
I told her I’d actually bought the car, too, and that it was outside.
So she liked that in the end.”
The former EastEnders actor admits he likes to keep things traditional at Christmas – and this one will be extra special as son Roman, a Capital radio
DJ, has returned from his stint in Australia for I’m A Celeb!
Martin says, “Our Christmas traditions are the same as everybody else’s. Christmas Day, we wake up at 10 o’clock; Shirlie burns the Brussels sprouts at 11 because she’s already drunk. We sit down for lunch all together at about one o’clock. At three o’clock, we watch the Queen, and then, by the evening, we’re all singing karaoke!”
FUTURE PLANS
Swing hits are likely to be on the setlist for this Christmas sing-along, as Martin and Shirlie have released their first ever joint album, In The Swing Of It. It’s an exciting year ahead, as the showbiz couple are set to continue on their new music venture together in 2020.
Meanwhile, Martin plans to make resolutions, but admits keeping them is tough. He says, “I try to make New Year’s resolutions, but they break quite soon.
I’m usually about a ‘six-week’ person
– I go with it until things become too difficult. I think, this time, it’ll be to enjoy myself more. It’s important not to work too hard. Life’s too short.”