TV presenter Roman Kemp recently shared intimate new details about the profound impact of his best friend’s death in a podcast chat.
Roman shared his story in a heartfelt episode of Auto Trader’s Show on the Road, while revisiting places in the Hertfordshire Countryside that hold memories from his past.
Roman Kemp on losing his best friend
The podcast is known for its intimate conversations with celebrities while retracing the pivotal moments of their lives. And, as Roman and host Alex Legouix drove past landmarks of his youth, he shared recollections of his childhood.
Visiting Elstree Studios brought back memories of his father – actor Martin Kemp‘s – time on EastEnders.
However, it was the loss of Joe Lyons, Roman’s best friend and Capital FM’s producer, to suicide that stood as the central, most moving part of the conversation.
He described Joe as more than a coworker — calling him his “best friend” and jokingly, “like my boyfriend”. He quipped: “We were together nonstop. I had girlfriends that would say Joe was more like the partner in the relationship.
“And here’s someone that you’ve spent all that time with, seemingly living a different life, to the one that you were told, right in front of you.”
‘I was on air when it was unfolding’
Recalling the day he learned of Lyons’s passing, Roman – who hosts The Finish Line – said: “I was on air when it was all kind of unfolding, because he just hadn’t turned up for work. And when I found out he had died, I remember calling my mum and I remember hearing my mum just scream, and say: ‘What happened?'”
Initially believing it to be an accident, Roman’s grief morphed into a complex mix of sadness and guilt upon discovering Lyons had taken his own life.
“I just said: ‘I don’t know some accident,’ because weirdly me, my mum and him and my dad had all been for dinner and two nights before. But then at around 11am I found out that it was suicide and everything changed,” he confessed, revealing how the tragedy altered his perception of suicide and mental health.
Roman also criticised the simplistic views many hold towards mental illness and treatment. “All of this was wrong,” Roman stated. “He was like the happiest person you could ever meet on the outside. Confident, good looking, good job, got money, got a lovely family, owns his own apartment.”
Roman Kemp on leaving Capital FM
Four years on, Kemp expressed a deep-seated sadness and regret for not recognising the signs of his friend’s distress.
“So I guess now four years on, I’m sad. I’m so, so sad. And I’m so sorry that I didn’t push. And there’s people out there that will say to me all the time, it’s not your fault. Or they’ll say, you know, there’s nothing you could have done, but I’m here to tell you there was.
“If I had had a hint, I would have been there. I live two minutes away. The scary thing is that the person that I love and the person that I hold so close to my heart is ending their life on purpose.”
He now advocates for open and honest conversations about mental health and continued: “I’m on the other side of this now. And let me tell you, like, if you’re worried about your mate, speak to him because it is not nice on this side of it.”
‘I feel like I’m letting that go’
The radio host’s departure from Capital FM earlier this year brought another layer of emotional complexity. He said: “You know, the saddest part of leaving Capital is that I feel like I’m leaving him. That’s the God’s honest truth, the only part of it that I cried about was that I feel like I’m letting that go.”
However, by sharing his battles with depression and advocating for mental health awareness, Roman continues to honour his friend’s memory. “I’ve always been very open with the fact that I’ve big suicidal thoughts. What does that do to me to be open about that is a good thing,” Roman remarked.
Read more: The One Show star Roman Kemp on his famous parents teaching him ‘how to love’
AutoTrader’s Show on the Road podcast is available now on all podcast platforms. The Finish Line is on BBC One weekdays at 4.30pm.
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