Former Spandau Ballet heart-throb Martin Kemp has broken his silence on his notably quiet stint in the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! jungle, revealing his lack of screen time was a conscious choice to support younger campmates.
The Deliberate Backseat Strategy
The 64-year-old pop icon and actor, who was the sixth celebrity to be evicted from the ITV reality show on Thursday night, was dubbed the 'jungle ghost' by fans and his own son, Roman Kemp, due to his scarce appearances. Martin participated in only one major Bushtucker Trial during his 20-day stay, finally facing a challenge named Lethal Libraries alongside Tom Read Wilson in his final week.
Reflecting on his strategy, Kemp told the Daily Mail he felt it was time to let a new generation have their moment. "I thought, I'm at the end of my career, you know, I'm at a bit where I'm slowing down a little bit," he explained. "And the other guys are at the beginning, and why not give them the chance and time and put them in front of a queue?"
A Newfound Ability to Make Friends
Despite his low-profile approach, Kemp described his jungle experience as profoundly positive, particularly in helping him overcome a personal challenge. The star, who has been in the public eye since he was a teenager, admitted he has struggled to form new friendships over the years.
"I realise that I'm not very good at making new friends, you know, generally," he confessed. "I think that comes from being in the public eye for getting on over 50 years... But I realised, in the Jungle, that I could and it's the first time I've done it for a long time." He grew particularly close to Jack Osbourne and glamour model Kelly Brook, who was voted off two days before him.
His wife, Shirlie Kemp, 63, who flew to Australia to greet him after his eviction, had encouraged him to do the show for this very reason. Kemp recalled, "Shirlie said to me, 'You need to go, because you need to learn how to make your friends.'"
Family Reactions and Secret Exemptions
His son, Roman Kemp—who finished third on the show in 2019—was a vocal commentator on social media throughout his father's stay. He humorously referred to Martin as the "jungle ghost" and later expressed relief that his dad didn't beat his own third-place finish, joking he would "never live it down."
Following his exit, Martin Kemp was reunited with Shirlie at the luxurious Marriott Hotel in Surfer’s Paradise, where he proudly showed off a clean-shaven face, having removed the beard grown during his near three-week adventure.
The eviction came after co-star Vogue Williams revealed in a live stream that Kemp had been secretly exempt from some of the earlier trials, a fact that surprised many viewers. When asked by hosts Ant and Dec about his experience, a beaming Kemp stated, "I have dreamt about this moment... I just brought a calm energy."
His sacrifice appears to have paid off for the younger contestants. The show's current favourites to win are its youngest members: social media star AngryGinge (Morgan Burtwistle), 24, and rapper Aitch (Harrison Armstrong), 25.
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! continues on ITV1 and ITVX.
