Copyright manchestereveningnews
Martin Kemp has revealed that he didn’t think he was ‘going to make it’ and ‘banned’ his family from visiting him in hospital during his cancer battle. The actor and Spandau Ballet bassist’s admission comes after his son Roman Kemp recently revealed to fans that his dad was taken to hospital after almost being left ‘fingerless’ after an incident with a chainsaw. Roman told singer Tom Grennan on the You About podcast: “It's scary. Friday night I'd just finished work and looked at my phone, and dad sent a picture of his hand with all fingers heavily strapped up. “And all he writes underneath in the family WhatsApp group is 'yep... chainsaw’. I was texting him saying 'what?!' but got no reply, and then Harley my sister is like 'what's happened?' but again, no reply. "So he said 'Oh there was a bit of the branch that we wanted chopping down so I went and got a chainsaw’.” Following Roman’s comments, Martin took to social media to inform his fans that he was okay and recovering at home. “Hey guys, just a little message, you might have seen in a paper that I had a terrible accident with a chainsaw, which I did, but it was last week. I’m a lot better now. "I appreciate your concerns, and listen, it’s getting better by the minute, but I will explain how it happened another time. But just to reassure you, I am all right,” he said in a video on Instagram. Martin has previously spoken about being diagnosed with two brain tumours in the 1990s, saying before that he had no sense of smell during his cancer battle. Due to his health , Martin had to stop acting for a period of time and returned to the UK having just moved to Los Angeles with his wife Shirlie. Saying that learning of the tumours felt like a ‘car crash’, Martin reflected on how he felt having to undergo surgery to have them removed. He told The Times: “There were times when I wasn’t going to make it. One minute I was working harder than I’ve ever done, then all of a sudden I was on the operating table. “It’s like a car crash; it comes out of nowhere. It all went wonky for about five years. It was terrifying for my family. “I remember lying in hospital and I had to stop them from coming in because they were scaring me too.” Thankfully, Martin was okay and returned to acting in 1998 when he began working on the ITV police procedural drama The Bill. Martin is best known for his work as iconic EastEnders villain Steve Owen, who was famously killed off in a car explosion after Phil Mitchell was unable to save him. Previously talking to Roman about his past health issues, Martin revealed that he believes the tumours left him struggling with dyslexia . Despite Martin’s career flourishing after his health scare, he believes the tumours left him struggling with dyslexia. He said on his and Roman’s FFS! My dad is Martin Kemp podcast: “I am completely dyslexic, I struggle to read terribly. “But my dyslexia, because it came from a physical thing that happened in my brain, it wasn't just about what I can read and what I can't read and stumble, it's about me finding my way as well. "I have dyslexia when it comes to thinking what street is in front of another street. So everywhere I go, even if it's just around to my local shops, I use my maps. That all goes back to the brain injury that I had."
