Are You Really Ok?

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Anyone who's seen us together on telly will know that Dad and I rinse each other constantly. Whether it's on ­ Celebrity Gogglebox or Weekend Best, how we banter and take the p*** out of each other on telly is exactly what we're like in real life. Whilst I’ve seen Roman in programmes such as DNA Journey and the documentary he did on mental health and suicide, I don’t listen to Capital Radio and so that side of his story was interesting to me. And I know of his parents and enjoyed their music but they were necessarily a family I followed (figuratively of course), but it was a real eye opener learning about them as people rather than just their names. It had e substance than I was expecting. I thought it was “just” going to be a book about mental health with anecdotes and helpful advice. And that would have been perfectly fine. But it’s so much more. He’s taken us through his life, his childhood, adolescence and adulthood, his family life, his career, his ups and downs, and the things that have built up to crate this picture of mental health. It’s not a self-help book as such. He doesn’t pretend he’s a know-it-all expert or guru, he’s just telling us his experience.

The lifelong Arsenal supporter grafted his way to Capital?s highly coveted Breakfast slot - and pulled in record-beating listeners with his cheeky sense of humour. Who else could convince Ed Sheeran to tattoo Roman?s leg on air, drive around London playing cab-roulette with James Corden, get Craig David to freestyle rap, or rope Lewis Capaldi into a life-drawing class? Take a Look at Our Summary of November Highlights, Whether You're Looking for the Latest Releases or Gift Inspiration This is going to be really controversial but Starman by David Bowie. [Sings] “There’s a staaar-MAN! … ” Oh, God, shut up! Does everybody actually like it, or do they just pretend to like it? Put it this way: I love everything that David Bowie stood for, I think it’s fantastic; I can see that he was a trailblazing artist. My dad is a big Bowie fan. However, it’s one of those where I listen to it and I’m like: “Is this it?” I’m yet to hear one David Bowie song that makes me go: “Yes, phenomenal.” Is it so many different styles, or is it just a bit boring? I’ll level with you on one: I like Let’s Dance, but that’s just a Nile Rodgers record.Then, in 2019, Roman won over yet more fans coming third in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, with his uncanny impressions of everyone from Ant and Dec to his mate Harry Styles. Here, for the first time, Roman’s ready to reveal the things that weren't captured on camera, and how his time in the jungle changed his whole outlook on life.

Now, in the second part of our exclusive extracts from his new book Are You Really OK? Roman, 29, reveals all about his relationship with his parents and how much he admires their 40-year marriage ... Now the host of Capital FM’s breakfast show, a documentary maker and author, Kemp is officially a celeb in his own right. While his early Christmases sound starry, he says that wasn’t how they felt. George Michael wasn’t a superstar to him, but Godfather Yog. He was a partner to play video games with or “have normal, boring family chats. He was looking for the nice things that you can do, and he was looking for them in every corner,” says Kemp. One time, he adds, Michael was watching Deal or No Deal when a contestant lost a large sum of money. Gutted, Michael found the guy and gave him the cash. It was a world away from the body-positive home he had grown up in where, he explains, his dad would walk around naked. This led Roman to lose count of the times a girlfriend had come over and seen his “dad’s arse”. “As a kid, I was constantly apologising for my dad walking round in a towel – or barely a towel,” he laughs.Then, in 2019, Roman won over yet more fans coming third in I?m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, with his uncanny impressions of everyone from Ant and Dec to his mate Harry Styles. Here, for the first time, Roman?s ready to reveal the things that weren't captured on camera, and how his time in the jungle changed his whole outlook on life. Mates Tom, Olly and Lysander meet Roman to discuss the death of their friend Ashley, three years ago. “It’s still hard every day,” Lysander says. “I’m not going to sugar coat it. It can still be difficult but we take every day as it comes.” When I lost Joe to suicide, I was so confused. What do you mean he’s killed himself? He was happy, he was Mr Steal Yo Girl, the life and soul of the party! I couldn’t understand how my friend who was there for me when I would tell him about my own suicidal thoughts, and my life taking antidepressants, had been able to keep such a secret from me.

They've been there for the Capital FM DJ and broadcaster throughout his highs and lows – and Roman says they are his best friends and closest confidants. Roman Kemp is desperate to find the love of his life, but wants to sort his mental health out first (Image: Lorna Roach) Read More Related Articles Roman - thank you for a book that covers mental health without being statistical and/ or regimented, but being real and honest. Watching Roman's documentary about his best friend committing suicide was really eye opening. The grief he went through, and even his own mental health was played out brilliantly and now the work he does to support Mental Health Charities, everything was there for us to see and I really found his program heart warming. Ashley’s death, however, has prompted the three friends to share more about their own feelings. “We would talk before, but it wasn’t as in depth,” Lysander explains. “Now we have the two ok rule. ‘How are you doing, but how are you doing really - mentally? Are things a bit hard, are you down’?”

LoveReading Says

He praises the work of mental health advocates Princes William and Harry, revealing the first time he met the future king was at a mental health charity. A football match that was on in the room had just finished. Instead of following royal protocol, the first thing lifelong Arsenal supporter Roman said to Aston Villa fan William was, “F**king hell mate, that was mad!” Roman is clearly living a highly privileged life and I don't begrudge him that. That being said it doesn't put him in a good position to write a book on the subject of mental health for the masses. Possibly the best part of the book I read was that in which he shares his experiences of his friend and colleague dying by suicide. This is real and an experience that cuts across class divides. That being so folk in Roman's position are very much better equipped to cope with loss since access to mental health support in the UK and much of the world depends, to a large extent, on how wealthy you are. Roman simply can't speak to the experiences that the majority of those struggling with mental health face and as such the book perpetuates the narrative that if we all just got our mates talking a bit more or went for an extra walk everything would be alright.