Martin Kemp, whose colourful life has taken in 1980s pop stardom with Spandau Ballet, 1990s movie fame in The Krays, and a regular stint in Eastenders through the early 2000s, says he believes in being completely open with his son 32-year-old Roman about everything.
And that not only involves talking frankly about things like sex, but also the truly difficult subject of death.
On their father-and-son podcast FFS, My Dad Is Martin Kemp, Martin said that, if it ever came to it, he’d rather know that Roman was making the decision to withdraw end-of-life care than Roman’s older sister Harley.
Martin told his son he’d prefer it that way “because you’re a man”. He explains that Harley, now 35, is far more emotional than Roman. “You can block things out more easily,” he told his son.
Responding to the challenge that his decision seemed quite sexist, Martin clarified: “It’s not whether you’re a man or a woman, it’s who you are as a personality.”
Even if Roman’s mum, former Wham! backing vocalist Shirlie Kemp, was involved in the decision-making process, Martin said he’d still prefer Roman to make the final call.
He added that, as difficult as it might seem in the cold light of day, “when it comes to pulling the plug on someone… giving the doctor the wink and saying’ that’s enough,’ you’ll know.”
When it comes to the similarly-emotive subject of organ donation, Martin explains that as much as he believes in it, he would not be allowed to become a donor: “I had hepatitis back in the day,” he says.
Martin clarifies that he contracted Hepatitis A, a liver infection most commonly spread through contact with the faeces of an infected person: ”Once you’ve had any form of [hepatitis], I don’t think you can do organ donation.”
Otherwise, Martin would have no qualms about organ donation. “Once you’re dead,” he says, “you’re dead. You don’t know anything that’s going on.
“When I’m gone, and I’m looking back at my body, I’ll think ‘I had a f*****g great time.’”
He told Roman previously: “When I was 34 and I went through that brain tumour stuff I was practically resigned to the fact that I was going to die, but I was quite happy with my lot because I had lived the most incredible experiences.
“I’d lived stuff that people were dreaming about doing. Every year that I live, every month that I’m alive is like a bonus.”
Roman said he felt the same way about organ donation, saying “Giving your brain up so some trainee doctor can learn how to save someone else’s life is a great thing.
Martin’s brain is, of course a special case. He has lived with controlled epilepsy since the 1990s, as a result of suffering two brain tumours.
The life-saving surgery he had at the time has left him with a metal plate replacing part of his skull, and he jokes that he can never slip through airport security again as a result.
