Martin Kemp has revealed he was so terrified during his battle with two brain tumours in the 1990s that he banned his family from visiting him in hospital. The Spandau Ballet star, now 64, feared he might die after doctors discovered the benign growths in 1995, forcing him to abandon his Hollywood career and return to Britain from Los Angeles.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Kemp 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.' He added: 'I remember lying in hospital and I had to stop them from coming in because they were scaring me too.'
The musician and actor, who had starred in films such as Waxwork II and Embrace of the Vampire after his acclaimed role in The Krays, eventually made a comeback in 1998 with a part in The Bill. He then landed the role of Steve Owen in EastEnders, which earned him the Most Popular Actor award at the 2000 National Television Awards and Villain of the Year at the British Soap Awards.
Kemp has said his time on the BBC soap 'saved his life', explaining that he was emerging from 'the darkest moments' of his life. However, the tumours left him with dyslexia, which he says affects his ability to read and navigate. He relies on maps on his phone even for short trips, as he struggles to decipher street names.
The NHS estimates around one in 10 people in the UK have some degree of dyslexia. Kemp discussed his condition on the podcast FFS! My dad is Martin Kemp, which he hosts with his son Roman, after Roman noticed that over half of his father's phone usage was for maps.
