Martin Kemp ‘lucky he didn't lose his hand’ after injury that’s ‘like a horror film’
Martin Kemp required medical attention after an accident at home, his son Roman Kemp has revealed
Martin Kemp has been left “strapped up” after sustaining an injury that’s been compared to a “horror film”. The Spandau Ballet star is said to be “lucky” to have kept his hand after a chainsaw accident at home.
Martin, 64, was reportedly attempting to trim a branch at his home in Hertfordshire when he sustained the injury. Son Roman Kemp, 32, opened up about his dad’s injury on his You About? podcast with popstar Tom Grennan.
Roman says his dad sent a message to the family WhatsApp group simply reading “yep, chainsaw”. Tom asked: “What the hell has happened to your dad’s fingers, because that looks like a horror film?”
Roman replied: “It sums up my dad right because, Friday night, I’ve just finished work and my dad’s sent a picture of his hand and it’s like, all his fingers are heavily strapped up and it’s like the claw.
“All bandaged up, bits of blood, and all he writes underneath is, ‘yep, chainsaw’. I literally messaged back like ‘what?’”
Roman says both he and his sister Harley were sending concerned messages to their father. Although he says the former EastEnders actor wasn’t responding to his messages.
Roman says he eventually decided to call his dad and find out if he was alright. He continued: “I said, ‘What are you doing?’ And he goes, ‘Oh yeah, it’s not bad’ and it’s all this type of stuff.
“I said, ‘What did you do?’ And he goes, ‘There was a bit of branch that we wanted chopping down.’ That’s my first issue, why are you handling a chainsaw, you’re in your late 60s now.”
Tom asked if Martin is a “bit of a handy man” only for Roman to say his mum, former Wham! singer Shirlie Holliman is “better”. Roman added: “He’s got more than enough dough, get a professional in.
“Do you know what he said? ‘I picked it up from the blade and it didn’t have the sheath on it’. He said it switched on…he’s picked it up and it’s kicked into gear.”
Tom said Martin was “lucky not to lose his hand”, adding: “I know a mate who lost a finger through that.”
Roman went on to say Martin “screamed” and ran into Shirlie with blood pouring everywhere. It was then the Spandau singer went to hospital for a tetanus shot.
Full Attention singer Tom joked Shirlie would be “fuming” if Martin suffered a lasting injury because he “wouldn’t be able to play guitar”. Roman concluded: “Idiot man, he’s an idiot.”
Martin rose to fame with older brother Gary Kemp as part of Spandau. Along with Tony Hadley, John Keeble, Steve Norman and Ross Wild they had hits with songs such as Gold and True.