Martin Kemp expressed his affection for a former Strictly Come Dancing star after forming a close bond on a survival show. The ex-Spandau Ballet star appeared on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls in 2018, alongside Pete Wicks, James Cracknell, Anthony Ogogo, and Eric Roberts.
Martin, 63, revealed that he bonded with Pete during the show, describing it as an "experience you can't pay for". On the FFS! My dad is Martin Kemp podcast, Martin declared his "love" for Pete after his son Roman, 32, bumped into the former The Only Way is Essex star in a coffee shop.
Roman mentioned that Pete was "rattled" by a joke he made, implying the reality TV star was "skint". Martin responded: "I love Pete. He's a lovely guy."
Roman found their friendship unusual, attributing it to their shared experience on Bear Grylls' Island, reports Edinburgh Live.
Martin recalled the show as a "bonding four weeks that I will never forget", prompting Roman to share a story about Pete crying over a pig's death. Martin chuckled, remembering the incident: "It was the funniest thing. We hadn't eaten for possibly getting on just over three weeks and all of a sudden there's this pig that turns up on the island. Everyone's saying, 'let's kill it, let's eat the meat', everyone's starving."
Martin said: "I'd lost three stone in three weeks, there was nothing left of me. But Pete had just become this vegetarian and he had gone completely over the top. He said, 'We're not killing the pig. We're not killing it'.
"He put a rope around the pig's neck and tied it up for the day. Later on in the afternoon we heard the pig squeal and he'd strangled it."
Martin added that Pete then arranged a funeral for the pig, and the group built a raft to lay the animal to rest at sea, with Pete visibly grieving.
Roman described the moment as "amazing" television, saying: "What I will say is that when you're in those scenarios, your emotions are everywhere. That I totally get and it was amazing telly."
Martin shared that Pete also had a close call with a shark during filming, getting bitten on the finger. "It all became a little bit messy. It was a real experience, a joint bonding experience that me and Pete have," he said.
