Martin Kemp is charging into the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle with one mission in mind: snatching the crown to rub it in his son Roman’s face!
The Spandau Ballet legend, 64, is hilariously motivated by a bit of family rivalry. His son, Sky Sports presenter Roman Kemp, 32, finished third on the 2019 series—and Martin is dead set on outdoing him just for the bragging rights.
“He’ll never live it down,” Martin chuckled in an exclusive chat. “I might even get a massive poster made to remind him forever!”
Before signing on for the Aussie adventure, Martin turned to Roman for advice. “He was the first person I asked,” Martin shared. “‘They’ve asked me to do this—what do you think?’ And he said, ‘Dad, you’ll have the time of your life!'”
Roman didn’t hold back on the praise, calling it “the best thing he ever did.” But here’s the kicker: Roman admitted, “Thinking about you going in is making me jealous!” Talk about a plot twist—who knew the jungle could spark such envy?
But Martin’s not naive about the perils ahead. He suspects Roman might rally his massive social media army to vote him into the most gruesome Bushtucker Trials. “I don’t think it’s the public targeting me,” Martin laughed nervously. “I think Roman’s going to unleash all his followers on me!”
Adding to the drama, Roman recently spilled that Martin had a scary chainsaw mishap that landed him in the hospital. Martin opened up about the “lucky escape,” explaining how it happened while removing the scabbard from an electric chainsaw. “It suddenly came to life,” he recounted with a wince.
“I headed to the hospital for an injection and a check-up—they wrapped it up, and it was fine,” he assured. “That was about three weeks ago now, and it’s all healed. It’s incredible how skin bounces back like that.”
Blame it on a momentary lapse, but Martin sees it as a lesson learned. “It was my own fault,” he admitted. “But hey, I got away with it—I’ve still got my finger, so all good!”
Despite the close call, Martin’s buzzing with excitement for the ITV show he’s always dreamed of joining. He’s got full backing from his wife, former Wham! backing singer Shirlie Holliman, 63.
Teasing the infamous jungle showers, Martin joked, “Hopefully I’ll get a shower at some point, but don’t expect a Myleene Klass moment from me! I’m not avoiding it, though—let’s just say that.”
Above all, Martin’s committed to keeping it real in camp. “I don’t want to go in with some fake personality,” he vowed. “I’ve never done that in my life, and I won’t start now over the next month.”
With family banter fueling his fire, Martin’s jungle quest is set to be a riot. Will he claim the throne and deliver the ultimate dad-win? Stay tuned—the Kemp showdown is on!