Roman Kemp says mum Shirlie ‘cried for days’ over heartbreaking discovery

Roman Kemp has opened up about the ‘horrendous’ struggles he and his family have endured, admitting he was left heartbroken over his mum and dad’s reactions

Kathryn Ingate Deputy Editor of Trendswatch

10:06, 06 Nov 2025

Roman Kemp reveals family struggle that left his mum in tears(Image: Dave Benett, Dave Benett/Getty Images for Scholastic Books)

The One Show presenter Roman Kemp grew up in the public eye and it wasn’t long before he witnessed the heartbreaking downsides of celebrity after seeing his pop star mum, Shirlie Kemp, in tears for days.

Just months before embarking on Celebrity Race Across the World 2025 with his elder sister Harleymoon Kemp, 36, which will see the pair competing against other famous faces as they travel 5,900km across Central America on a budget of just £30 per day each, Roman, 32, revealed the hardship he recalls most clearly from his younger years.

During a discussion with singer Tom Grennan on their You About? podcast, Roman recalled how he and Harleymoon appeared in national publications alongside their famous parents at a time when the family was facing financial difficulties.

Shirlie and her husband Martin Kemp, who rose to fame as part of Spandau Ballet before taking on the role of Steve Owen in BBC soap EastEnders, were experiencing money troubles due to the musician’s health struggles during the 1990s.

Roman Kemp opened up on the struggles of fame(Image: LightRocket via Getty Images)

Martin was diagnosed with two brain tumours and required surgery to have them removed.

“My parents had no money at the time because my dad had all these operations and s*** for his brain, so, like, they were trying to get more money,” Roman told podcast co-host Tom.

He continued, acknowledging that despite having featured in magazines as a family unit, Martin and Shirlie remained worried about their children being photographed by paparazzi whilst on holiday.

Roman went on: “But then, even up to when I was maybe 13, if we’d gone on holiday, we were never allowed to go to the beach because when we went on the beach, my mum and dad would always be like, ‘there it is’ and you’d see a boat come past, quite far out, and then, like, stop, and there would just be a long lens camera just taking pictures of kids on beaches.”

The TV star poignantly revealed his mum would frequently be left in tears after seeing photographs the paparazzi had captured of them appearing in publications.

Roman and Harleymoon Kemp are swapping the life of luxury for backpacks (Image: BBC/Studio Lambert)

He said: “It’s mad in that sense, you see it less and less now, like those old celebrity pictures on the beach, you see that a lot less now.

“But at the time, my whole life, me growing up, was my mum crying because they’re taking horrendous pictures and they’d only use the worst picture.”

Looking back on one particularly distressing incident after a holiday, Roman said Shirlie “cried for, like, five days” when images of the family on a banana boat were printed in the press.

Before Celebrity Race Across the World airs on Thursday evening, Harleymoon revealed she was originally offered the opportunity to appear on the BBC programme with her mum, but Shirlie had reservations, so the pair turned it down.

Martin Kemp and wife Shirlie raised their family in the spotlight(Image: Getty Images)

Harleymoon told the Radio Times: “My mum was asked to be in the first Celebrity Race Across the World and was going to take me, but thought it sounded too hard. I was glad to have another chance to go.”

Roman, who has been candid about his battles with anxiety and depression, shared his reasons for joining the series: “I came off all medication [antidepressants] over a year ago and the race was a good test for my anxiety.

“It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done on television, but doing the race itself was hell! I used to watch it and wonder why a contestant was crying – well, that was me.”