Roman Kemp has spoken about a major shift in his family life after winning Celebrity Race Across the World with sister Harleymoon and their parents’ pre-show fears
Roman Kemp has candidly discussed a significant change in his family dynamics, revealing that his parents Martin and Shirlie were “scared” by one of his recent endeavours. The 32-year-old TV host recently clinched victory on BBC One’s Celebrity Race Across the World alongside his sister Harleymoon Kemp.
The popular programme saw the siblings embark on a 33-day, 5,900km (3,600 mile) journey across Central America, armed with a budget of just £950 per person and without mobile phones. They managed to cross the finish line a mere two minutes before Strictly Come Dancing’s Molly Rainford and her fiancé Tyler West.
Six hours later, Ani Rani and her father, Bal, secured third place. Derry Girls star Dylan Llewellyn and his mum Jackie came in fourth, having to bow out of the competition due to dwindling funds.
The final episode, which aired last week, featured the contestants navigating a 1,000km route from Medellín to the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia.
Prior to participating in the show, Roman, known for his appearances on The One Show, and Harleymoon confessed they weren’t as close as they’d like, with their hectic careers limiting their time together. However, he disclosed that his sister “saved” him with a phone call during a mental health crisis, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Roman, who has been transparent about his struggles with depression and PTSD, shared: “I don’t know if I ever have actually spoken to Harley about that call. What I do know is that the conversation between my mum and Harley might have saved my life on that day.”
In a chat with the BBC prior to the show, 36 year old Harleymoon shared: “One of the main things for me, was just being able to spend that time with Roman, we haven’t lived together since we were 15 years old. So, we obviously love each other, brother and sister, but we don’t hang out just us. We don’t get time, Roman’s got a busy schedule, I’ve got a busy schedule.
“I think sometimes when you are in that family dynamic, you meet up to drop the dogs off or pick up my house keys and that becomes your dynamic. So being able to have a month that is going to be just me and him… I feel like I’m about to meet Roman again as a person, and I look forward to that so much.”
The siblings now hope their worldwide journey will inspire them to spend more quality time together in the future. During an episode of the You About?
podcast, Harleymoon expressed: “I hope we continue to see each other more. I don’t think we saw each other much at all, other than at mum and dad’s house really, it’s such a different thing. That’s why I was really looking forward to doing the race.”
Roman chimed in: “Now I feel it easier to hang out with you because I know you. I can piece together the bits that I never understood, where I just thought, ‘Is she just being a d**k or is she being extraverted beyond? Why?’ Now I know why, and you’re not, it’s just part of you.”
Before setting off on their adventure, Roman confessed that their parents were “scared” about potential sibling squabbles. In a chat with singer Tom Grennan, he shared: “Harley is like wild, party, fun, like the complete opposite of me. Boring is what I am. It was really interesting, and that’s why I was quite worried about it in that sense, and my mum and dad were so scared about us arguing, but you’ll have to see.”
Born into a family of celebrities, Roman and Harleymoon were exposed to fame from a young age. Their father Martin, 64, travelled the globe as the bassist for Spandau Ballet before transitioning into a successful soap career, notably playing Steve Owen in EastEnders. Their mother Shirlie lent her voice as a backing singer for WHAM!
Despite their famous lineage, both siblings have forged their own paths. Roman made his mark on Capital Radio before transitioning to television.
Source: Mirror
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