Are You Really Ok?

Product Information

I also particularly liked the end “Stuff that’s Good to Know” and will be taking ideas such as “The Wellness Menu” and “The Safety Plan” on board. I love that,” Roman responds. “The two ok rule. If you don’t mind, I’m going to use that. I wish I’d said to Joe, 'Mate, I know you know this but I’m going to tell you again. I am that person that you can talk to about that stuff…'” When Roman Kemp was a boy, Christmas meant the latest round in an epic gift-off between his mum and dad (Shirlie of Pepsi and Shirlie and Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp), and his mum’s best friend George Michael. The edge frequently went to the legendarily generous singer.

My Darkest Hour and Brighter Days to Come” wasn’t an easy chapter to read. My heart broke, but it was clear to see how we can go from being “ok” to not and this really resonated with me. Capital DJ Roman Kemp has achieved much success but he hasn?t had an easy ride. He?s battled depression since the age of 15, once contemplated suicide, and has bravely fought to smash the stigma still surrounding medication and mental health. The lifelong Arsenal supporter grafted his way to Capital’s highly coveted Breakfast slot - and pulled in record-beating listeners with his cheeky sense of humour. Who else could convince Ed Sheeran to tattoo Roman’s leg on air, drive around London playing cab-roulette with James Corden, get Craig David to freestyle rap, or rope Lewis Capaldi into a life-drawing class? In August 2020, Joe Lyons, Roman Kemp’s much-loved best friend and work colleague died by suicide. Roman and his tight knit group of mates were totally blindsided by Joe’s sudden and unexpected death, and understandably their devastation at the loss of such a special person remains to this day.I still have bad days,” says Roman. “When I was a kid they would call it a chemical depression. People’s hormones are constantly up and down and can lead to things like depression. Every two months my hormones will feel depressive. I’ll notice it and Mum and Dad will notice it.” Not because they're famous, and certainly not because they're rich – they've endured real financial struggles over the years – but quite simply because they're the world's nicest people. The whole family still misses him, says Kemp, particularly his mum, for whom Michael was nearer a brother than a friend. But they try to think of Yog with “pride rather than sadness”.

Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. No, I haven’t seen the video of Boris Johnson dancing to it with Carrie at their wedding, but if there’s anyone who knows parties, it’s our UK government, so fair play. It’s the easiest crowdpleaser ever, in England specifically.In 2019, Roman won over yet more fans coming third in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, with his uncanny impressions of everyone from Ant and Dec to his mate Harry Styles. At 60, Dad still has his fair share of female admirers, which he's a bit sheepish about and which Mum thinks is hilarious and ridiculous. But I have to admit he's the best-looking member of our family and in some ways I'm looking forward to going grey like him one day, he's working the silver fox look so well. The worst sections of the book could be considered insulting to those of us who've suffered with mental ill health. In the section on money, Roman readily admits he could come across as a "privileged arsehole". He then goes on to prove himself right by stating in the section on the royal family "the Royals endure all of the same human hardships the rest of us do". I've never met a Royal (Rowan has) and I don't have any reason to doubt that it is his honest opinion that they're good people, but to make the aforementioned statement, it's just objectively not true. This is the point at which I gave up on the book because he is clearly not thinking in much depth about how this might land with ordinary folk. Even in the case of loss which Roman discusses in this section it does not have as great an impact on those in positions of wealth and power such as the royals for the simple reason of them having functionally unlimited funds with which to procure themselves the best psychological support there is.

Hope and understanding, comes in conversations with groups of mates, who like Roman, find themselves trying to come to terms with missing a friend and the endless questions around what happened, and why. You will find yourself entertained and educated and you’ll be laughing and crying. It is a real rollercoaster of emotions - which, at the end of the day, is what makes us human. Ideally we want to live in a world where there is no suicide, there is no mental health crises; but that won’t happen, and it’s people like Roman who are using their position to help make things a little easier in the meantime.

And once I had actually to walk off the sofa during Gogglebox when Dad insisted that I would have found my Mum "tasty" when she was younger. (Ewwww. That made me feel quite ill thinking about that.) Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative Futures Joe’s mother, Celia, wanted to be part of the film and I was so grateful that she did. There’s been a common feeling among people that suicide should never be referred to as a “selfish act”. But Celia voiced the harsh but true reality: “You’re not ending that pain, you’re passing it on forever to those who love you. So please stay, don’t go.” A year later, during the pandemic, Roman’s best friend, Joe Lyons – the producer who’d nurtured his career – took his own life aged 31. In August, on the second anniversary of Joe’s death, Roman got a tattoo on his arm of a dove. He already had a bird tattoo on his leg to match one that Joe had.