4 hours Ago By [email protected] (Robin Cottle)
Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp has opened up about a poignant family revelation that left him in tears. His wife Lauren encouraged him to seek therapy after observing his mood decline during the Covid-19 pandemic. The 65 year old rock star was taken aback during a Zoom therapy session when he discovered he hadn't fully mourned the loss of his parents.
His parents tragically died within two days of each other in 2009. In an interview with The Times, he confessed: "It was all fine until the therapist said: 'Tell me a bit about your family,' and that was it. I couldn't talk for 10 minutes.
I just fell apart. My parents, my life? So many things I haven't grieved for properly." Kemp , who tied the knot with costume designer Lauren in 2003, is father to three sons - Milo Wolf, Kit and Rex.
He also has another son, Finley, from his previous marriage to actress Sadie Frost, reports the Daily Express. Reflecting on his mental health struggles during the initial Covid-19 lockdown, Kemp admitted to being 'addicted to the 24-hour news cycle', which disrupted his sleep and heightened his anxiety levels. The musician's anxiety escalated further two years ago as he prepared to tour as a guitarist with ex-Pink Floyd member Nick Mason's band, Saucerful of Secrets.
Upon receiving the tour itinerary, Kemp realised something was amiss. Instead of excitement about the upcoming gigs, hotels or cities, he found himself consumed by worry over potential mishaps on the tour. He revealed: "My first thought was: 'Which one of these places is where I die? I mean, that's some deep anxiety, right? I'm a worrier by nature but this was something.
" Kemp rose to fame with the new wave band Spandau Ballet , alongside his younger brother Martin , 63, and Tony Hadley , among others. He confesses that some of the band's fans were 'really over the top' during its peak, with one obsessive fan leaving a sheep's head on his doorstep and vandalising a former girlfriend's car with slogans. It comes after Gary's brother Martin spoke frankly about his own mortality.
Speaking to son Roman on their shared podcast about how many years he might have left, he said: "I'll be really honest with you, 10 years. I don't know how long I've got left but I will tell you, since I was the age of 34, when I went through all of that brain tumour scare, I spent two years of my life thinking I was going to die." Gary is set to appear on TV twice this weekend.
He's a guest on James Martin's Saturday Morning at 9.30am on ITV , and he'll also feature on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh at 9.30am on Sunday (February 2) on ITV.
His new solo album, This Destination, was released yesterday (Friday, January 31)..
