The long-standing feud between Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp and Tony Hadley has resurfaced, casting a shadow over Kemp's current participation in I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! While Kemp faces jungle trials, Hadley, a veteran of the 2015 series, has issued a stark warning to his former bandmate from the sidelines.
The Jungle Warning and Divergent Paths
Appearing on ITV's Loose Women on Tuesday, 18 November, Tony Hadley offered some pointed advice for Martin Kemp's jungle journey. He urged the actor and musician to stay authentic, cautioning that the relentless environment of the show makes it impossible to maintain a facade. "Don't try to be anyone else," Hadley stated, adding, "Because you can't pretend to be that 24/7. I mean, it's really intense in there."
Their current endeavours highlight their separate paths. Kemp is navigating the challenges of the Australian outback for the reality show, while Hadley is preparing for his own Christmas tour, a decade after his own stint in the jungle.
A Friendship Fractured Beyond Repair
Despite the seemingly cordial advice, the relationship between the two ex-bandmates remains deeply fractured. The rift became public in 2017 when lead vocalist Tony Hadley announced he was permanently leaving the iconic 1980s band. He has since been unequivocal about his reasons, though he places the onus for an explanation on his former colleagues.
In a past interview with The Mirror, Hadley delivered a crushing blow to reunion hopes, declaring, "you could offer me all the tea in China and I wouldn't get back with them". He has consistently claimed that the band's behaviour was not that of friends, forcing his departure. "I had no choice but to leave," he told the Guardian, though he has vowed to "never say exactly why".
Hadley maintains contact with only one former member, saxophonist Steve Norman, and has challenged the rest of the band to publicly admit their mistakes. "It's for them to be honest with fans and say, 'Look, we c***ed up... We're really sorry, we made a big mistake'," he said.
Admissions of Guilt and Singer Envy
Bassist Martin Kemp has offered a partial insight into the group's internal dynamics, acknowledging that the treatment of Hadley was sometimes unfair. He suggested to the Guardian that jealousy was a key factor, describing a culture where the singer "took all the banter".
"I don't like the way that we used to group up on Tony, and I feel guilty about that," Kemp admitted. He reflected that the situation would have been "too much for me", ultimately attributing it to "singer envy".
Any lingering speculation of a Spandau Ballet reunion was firmly extinguished by Hadley himself. When bandmate Gary Kemp hinted at the possibility, Hadley told the Express that the idea "came as news" to him. His final word on the matter was a pointed remark: "They should have thought about things, they should have been a bit nicer."
