Breakfast TV love-in: Martin Kemp embraces Piers Morgan (© ITV Studios Ltd)
◼ AN INNOCENT BREAKFAST TV APPEARANCE to promote Martin Kemp’s new role in a West End musical erupted into a physical love-in yesterday morning. Actor and Spandau Ballet bass player Martin takes over on Monday as smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn in the award-winning musical Chicago in London for the next two months.
On ITV’s Good Morning Britain a playful interview unfolded with Piers Morgan, the former tabloid newspaper editor, who suggested that the reality show Love Island was a tacky exploitation of everyday people for encouraging them to think that it opened up a career as a C-list celebrity. Martin, as a pragmatic self-made man, was quick to riposte: “You’ve got to remember we’re all in the same business – it’s called entertainment. It’s the way we live now. For me there is no problem getting success in the quickest way they can. If a door is there, that’s the door you go through to success. You take what you can get.”
The grey-suited Morgan then cheekily asked the age of the casually dressed silver fox Martin. On finding himself the younger, Morgan said: “The nation is thinking, how on earth is Martin Kemp four years older than me? Even my mother is thinking it.” Whereupon Martin rushed across the set to throw himself into a big man-hug with Morgan, laughing their heads off.
Morgan persisted: “How do you look so ridiculously good? What’s the secret?” And Martin replied: “The secret is never do a day’s work in your life. Everything I do is a hobby and it’s a joy.”
➢ View Martin Kemp online in Good Morning Britain, 27 June
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➢➢ Shapers of the 80s ➣➣ 