Roman Kemp has shared that he’s been in the ‘horrendous’ situation of walking in on his parents, Martin and Shirlie Kemp, having sex several times, but one particularly ‘bad’ occasion stood out from the rest
There are few experiences more mortifying than stumbling upon your parents in an intimate moment, but The One Show’s Roman Kemp admits he’s walked in on his mum and dad during passionate encounters multiple times – with one particular incident he desperately wishes he could erase from memory.
Chatting with musician mate Tom Grennan on their You About? Podcast, he shared how, as a youngster, his parents – Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp and former Wham! vocalist Shirlie Kemp – frequently failed to realise he wasn’t actually sleeping after being tucked in.
“I’d be too scared to go to sleep,” he explained, “and I’d walk into that room and they’d be having sex. Really horrendous!”.
One especially unforgettable incident occurred during a family trip to Los Angeles, where Roman had been taken to witness burlesque performer Dita Von Teese’s show.
Despite being just 13-years-old at the time, Roman had been permitted entry to watch her provocative performance.
Upon returning to their accommodation, Martin and Shirlie had evidently been stirred into a distinctly amorous mood.
After settling Roman in his separate room, the couple retreated to the adjoining suite for such vigorous lovemaking that “the painting came off the wall”.
“It was like a Kevin and Perry moment,” Roman remembered. “It was so bad. It was so bad that the painting came off the wall in the room.”
The following morning, he continued, Roman and his parents simply settled down in the hotel’s breakfast area and enjoyed their meal as though nothing had occurred.
Martin had previously disclosed that he and his wife of 37 years put considerable effort into maintaining the romantic flame in their marriage.
He reveals they organised regular romantic evenings together, explaining: “What you find is when your kids grow up and they leave home, you become boyfriend and girlfriend again. You go back to the beginning and back to how you used to be.”
It was instant attraction for Martin when he first spotted Shirlie performing on Top Of The Pops on television back in 1982.
Martin told The Mirror: “I remember being around my mum and dad’s, my back was up against the sofa because I was sitting on the floor, watching Thursday night Top Of The Pops and Wham! came on.”
Martin went on: “I saw Shirlie on there and absolutely fell in love through the television. You know, you fall into that bubble where you can’t think of anything else. And that’s how it was for me for a couple of weeks until we finally met.”
For Shirlie, the attraction was entirely mutual, with the star remembering: “I saw you in a magazine. I just got that feeling, I think I’ve fallen in love. That’s how my crush started. After that you starred in my dreams for a long time.”
