Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp became emotional as he recalled the powerful moment his father backed his dream of pursuing a career in music.
Martin and Roman Kemp(Image: ITV)
Martin Kemp struggled to hold back tears while speaking to his son, Roman Kemp, about how his late father responded to his bold decision to abandon an apprenticeship in pursuit of a career in music.
Appearing on Roman’s You About? podcast, Martin, 64, who also shares daughter Harleymoon Kemp with his wife Shirlie, recalled the moment his father, Frank, penned a letter effectively granting him permission to leave and attempt to carve out a life in showbusiness.
Recounting the story, Martin explained: “When I was an apprentice compositor in print, my dad wrote the manager a letter when I wanted to leave to be in a band.
“And it said, ‘Dear sir. You have to excuse Martin from his apprenticeship. Will you release him early because he wants to be… a rockstar?’
“And that wasn’t really about trust — that was about my dad having faith in me and wanting to give me a chance, and not wanting to nail me down in one place,” reports the Manchester Evening News.
When asked why he couldn’t write the letter himself, Martin replied: “I was only 17 and you can’t, because apprenticeships in those days — you are locked in. You are locked in for five years.”
Martin Kemp(Image: Eamonn M. McCormack, Getty Images for Bauer)
Growing visibly emotional while reflecting on his father’s crucial support, Martin’s voice cracked as he added: “Do you know, I think there was a big bit of my dad that wanted it to come true.
“I’ve told that story so many times, but it’s kind of like every now and again, you realise how important it is. When my dad wrote me that letter, we had nothing.”
The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! star went on to reveal that, due to the family’s financial hardship, he could have provided much-needed support had he continued with his apprenticeship — yet his father believed wholeheartedly that he would make it in the music industry.
This is far from the first time Martin has spoken about his father. Earlier this year, the former EastEnders actor and Spandau Ballet star opened up about losing both his parents in 2009 and the profound impact it had on him.
Martin and Roman Kemp
Martin lost his mother just 48 hours after his father passed away, and later reflected on their lives for a new short film.
Speaking to The Mail’s Love Sunday magazine, he said: “Both of my parents have passed on now, but I’ve got memories of them and it feels like I can still smell them when I see old clips.
“We had a load of old tapes of the kids and a few Christmases ago, Shirlie bought me a camera that can play them all.
“I hadn’t seen these tapes in years, so I was watching them back through this little lens on the camera with my eye up against it, crying my eyes out. It brought back so many of the beautiful memories. That’s the power of capturing these moments. It’s something that mustn’t be taken for granted.”
Roman Kemp will appear on The Great Celebrity Bake Off: Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4 on Sunday, April 26 at 7pm.
