Roman Kemp opens up on his emotional 'conflict' over mental health work

What did you miss?

Roman Kemp has opened up on his inner conflict about his mental health work, admitting he would trade all of his campaigning success to have late friend Joe Lyons back.

Radio DJ Kemp appeared on Wednesday's Loose Women where he spoke emotionally about raising awareness around mental health and the personal struggles it brings up for him.

Kemp will also front BBC Three documentary Roman Kemp: The Fight For Young Lives on Wednesday at 9pm.

What, how, and why?

Roman Kemp has helped countless people with mental health issues by talking openly about his own struggles.

The Capital Breakfast host tragically lost his best friend Joe Lyons, a Global radio producer, in August 2020 when he took his own life, and Kemp has also spoken about his own battle with depression in the past.

But despite his hugely successful campaigning work and documentaries, Kemp told Loose Women that he would trade all of it to have his friend back.

Talking on the day that his new documentary, Roman Kemp: The Fight For Young Lives, will air on BBC Three, he said that he had never set out to be a mental health campaigner.

He said: "When it came to me losing my friend and being honest about things I'd struggled with in my life, it set me on this path.

"At times in my life I feel a Catch 22 with it, it's like a double edged sword because I don't want to be a part of this and I don't want to keep talking about mental health, I don't want to keep talking about suicide, but at the same time you can't help it because of the love that you have for the person that you lost.

"You will always forever be attached to it. On top of that you have people who will approach you and say thank you so much or we're really proud of you, but it's not really about that, it feels like a curse sometimes."

As the Loose Women stars reminded him that his work would have saved lives, Kemp made the heartbreaking admission: "I get told that a lot and it's an amazing thing.

"But at the end of it, it's hard because you feel conflicted or feel selfish, you know, if you said to me would I swap that to have my friend back? I would. That's a normal human reaction."

Kemp will look at the worrying rise in mental health problems in younger people during his documentary on Wednesday and also told Loose Women he had met with the government to call for better mental health provision in schools.

What else happened in Roman Kemp's Loose Women interview?

Kemp told how one high-profile supporter of his mental health campaigns was the Princess of Wales, and shared that she had struck up a bond with his mum Shirlie Kemp.

The princess had visited Kemp's parents' Martin and Shirlie's house, and he said that she could not have been a better guest.

Kemp said: "When she came over to my parents' house she ended up taking off her shoes which I thought was really polite and nice."

He added that the royals are big fans of his mum's homemade apple juice, pressed from apples from the tree in their garden.

Kemp explained: "I saw her at an event not too long after and she said, 'Oh Roman, please tell your mum thank you so much for the apple juice that she sent. I've sent her back some honey.

"'And as I side note please, how can we get some more because it's all that George keeps asking for.'"

For confidential emotional support at times of distress, contact The Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org.

Loose Women airs on ITV at 12.30pm on weekdays and Roman Kemp: The Fight For Young Lives airs on BBC Three on Wednesday at 9pm.

Read more:

• Roman Kemp says mental health needs to be treated like a pandemic (The Independent, 2 min read)

• Roman Kemp shares his one condition for doing Strictly (Digital Spy, 2 min read)

• Roman Kemp shows how small rations are in I'm A Celebrity (The Independent, 2 min read)