The One Show presenter Roman Kemp has previously opened up about his struggles with depression, feeling ‘trapped’, and the loss of his good friend Joe Lyons.
In a conversation from 2021, Roman reflected on his journey with mental health and the creation of his documentary focused on male mental health.
This documentary was sparked not only by his desire to understand his own mental health but also by the death of Joe Lyons.
Roman Kemp on feeling ‘trapped’ amid depression
“I’ve been on TV shows where I’ve had a camera in my face 24 hours a day for four weeks and this is still the most personal thing I’ve ever done,” Roman admitted at the time. “This has gone inside my mind and inside the [minds] of a lot of young men around the country.”
The documentary delved into Roman’s own battles and the wider crisis of male suicide.
The presenter’s journey into the world of mental health began long before his documentary. Facing the harrowing reality of his friend’s death in 2020, Roman was spurred to action.
It’s like there’s five doors in front of you and all of them have cement behind them. You feel trapped.
“The stats are completely out of control,” he told BBC Three. “It’s something I’ve been very much so personally affected by and I believe the time has gone now where you can shy away from it.”
Throughout the documentary, Roman explored his own mental health journey. He openly discussed the challenges of finding a way out when depression takes hold.
“These are thoughts that I’ve been dealing with in my own head since I was around 15. I guess when I’m in that place where I haven’t taken my meds there’s a part of me that just [thinks] there’s no way out,” Roman explained. “It’s like there’s five doors in front of you and all of them have cement behind them. You feel trapped. You’ve got no perspective of a way out and it’s a horrible place to be.”
‘Not enough is being done’
Despite previous reservations from his team about discussing mental health issues openly, fearing it might impact his career, Roman felt compelled to break his silence.
“If there’s young guys out there that see me talking about my own mental health and it somehow helps them then I’ve won,” he stated.
His documentary also touched on conversations with his family. This included his parents – Martin and Shirlie Kemp.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old addressed the societal pressures placed on men and the impact the pandemic had on mental health.
He insisted that “not enough is being done” and thinks “to not have the support in place for kids, in my opinion, is disgraceful”.
Read more: Roman Kemp sparks concern with sunburn in holiday photos as mum Shirlie fumes
The One Show airs weekdays from 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
What do you think about this story? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.