The Games was a Major experience

Spandau Ballet star writes first novel

BACK in 2004, I was on The Games with Major Charles Ingram – whose story was told on ITV show Quiz.

We all had to learn different sporting skills, ranging from diving off a 10-metre board to throwing the javelin.

On the programme, the Major revelled in the cheers for fellow contestants including Boyzone’s Shane Lynch, who is pictured with us above left. I think he believed they were for him.

And I’m happy to report that Charles didn’t attempt to cheat on the show.

Apparently, he has actually enjoyed the last year, because for the first time in 20 years nobody dares to cough when they walk past him.

You can’t be too careful these days.

MARTIN Kemp is hoping to carve out a new career as an author, Hot TV can reveal.

The Spandau Ballet star – who had a 1980 hit with To Cut A Long Story Short – has started his first novel.

And he promises it will be fiction… so it won’t all be True.

Martin said: “During lockdown, I have been writing my first piece of fiction.

“I can’t give away anything about it as I am in the middle of writing it, but that is taking up most of my time at the moment.

“Writing is just something I love because it takes your brain somewhere completely different.

“It takes me away from watching the news, which is just all about Covid.” Martin has had more careers than

Katie Price has had husbands. That’s not a joke. It’s a fact! In the 80s he shot to fame in the pop world.

And since then he’s been a legendary soap baddie in EastEnders, fronted his own chat show, been a TV judge, had movie roles and done some reality telly too.

Last summer, fans saw him acting alongside wife Shirlie in the BBC mockumentary The Kemps: All True.

Not surprisingly, he loves having so many strings to his bow.

He said: “It’s nice to come back to anything because it gives you a break from what you have been doing before.

“All my friends who are my age are in that mid-life crisis where they would give anything to change their job and just get out of the rut. I am really lucky because I get to do different things and I feel like I am changing jobs all the time.”

Believe it or not, Martin has even more jobs he wants to try.

Joining the cast of crime drama McDonald & Dodds has made him long to be a police officer.

He said: “We all love a little bit of crime-solving. I would love to be a detective, without a doubt. They must have so much fun.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, it must be a tough job. But in my fantasies, it would have been fun.

“In a parallel life that’s maybe what I would have done, although my Plan B was always to be a footballer.”

You can see Martin on McDonald & Dodds when the new series starts tonight at 8pm on ITV.

NEW DIRECTION: Martin is penning book