Roman Kemp told dad Martin ‘I’m not good enough’ in teary phone call

The One Show presenter Roman Kemp sought comfort in his famous parents, Martin Kemp and Shirlie Holliman, after having a ‘not good enough’ moment following a recent career move

Roman Kemp admits he once called his parents in tears after a difficult day of filming.

Roman Kemp shared a heartfelt moment about his struggles after taking on a new role, revealing he broke down in tears believing he “wasn’t good enough” following a career step up.

The 31-year-old has been tasked with presenting two series of The Finish Line, a fresh daytime quiz show for BBC One. Though Roman is seasoned in the world of television, fronting shows like The One Show since 2022 and previously gracing the airwaves on Capital Breakfast until 2024, the quiz show format presented a unique challenge, reports the Express.

He has now revealed he called up dad, Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet and mum Shirlie, after a particularly rough first day filming on-set in Belfast. Speaking to Heat magazine, Roman said: “Filming the first episode of the first series, I was so bad!

Roman Kemp and Sarah Greene front The Finish Line ( 
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(Image: BBC))
“I called my mum and dad afterwards and I was walking through Belfast and I was in tears. I was just like “I’m not good enough for this. I thought I was good enough for it but I’m not. Both my mum and dad said to me ‘Go to bed, sleep, and go into the next day, and know what you are going to look at’.”

Fortified by their counsel, Roman recounted how he returned to the studio the very next day and nailed it. Now well into its second run on BBC One, The Finish Line has Roman pairing up with the celebrated Sarah Greene of Going Live! fame.

Roman Kemp with mum Shirlie and dad Martin ( 
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(Image: Getty))

Despite often being labelled a “nepobaby” due to his illustrious lineage, Roman Kemp has etched his name into the entertainment industry, adeptly juggling light-hearted bits on The One Show with more difficult topics. The celeb acknowledged that his famous lineage “hasn’t hindered” his career, conceding that if his dad Martin could have lined up gigs for him, he “would have done them”.

When Roman Kemp isn’t gracing our screens as a presenter, you’ll catch him cracking jokes with his old man on Celebrity Gogglebox or deep diving into topics from life to bromance on their podcast, FFS! My dad is Martin Kemp.