Roman Kemp has opened up about the strange side effects of growing up with EastEnders legend Martin Kemp as his father. The radio and TV presenter, 32, recalled how his dad’s role as Walford villain Steve Owen — including the infamous ashtray scene where Steve killed ex-girlfriend Saskia Duncan — had some “not normal” consequences for him as a child.
Speaking on The Beth Mead Show, Roman joked: “I’ve seen my dad die in like five different ways… it’s not normal for a child to see that.” He recalled classmates teasing him, saying, “Your dad’s a murderer,” leaving him baffled: “Well, he’s not… but you know…”
Roman admitted it was surreal growing up with a dad whose TV antics blurred into real life. “It was an odd thing,” he explained, remembering scenes of decapitation and his father’s head “squished into a million pieces” on-screen.
Martin, meanwhile, shared a story on their podcast FFS! My Dad Is Martin Kemp, about being attacked by a fan on Tottenham Court Road, who punched him in the chest out of nowhere, leaving him winded. He recounted: “All I could do was look up and see them running away… struggling for breath because it winded me.”
Despite the oddities and dangers of fame, Roman said he wouldn’t trade his childhood: “Because of popular culture, I only know these things because other people were so on it.” Fans have been delighted by the father-son duo’s honesty, with Roman adding humour to the strange realities of growing up Kemp.
