Roman Kemp pays tribute to late friend in moving TRIC Award win speech

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Roman Kemp paid an emotional and touching tribute to his late friend Joe Lyons while collecting the Radio Personality Award during Wednesday 15 September's annual TRIC Awards.

The Capital Breakfast star, who was also hosting the event held in partnership with OK!, was devastated when his best friend Joe Lyons took his own life in August last year.

And the 28 year old ensured that the first person he thanked for the TRIC Award honour was Joe.

"This is so special," he said. "The last time I was here, I was with my best mate. He's not here today."


A visibly emotional Roman continued: "He made me the first person that I am.

"Joe Lyons, we really sadly lost him and, he is the reason what I'm doing what I'm doing.

"I love him and I thank him every day," Roman continued as the audience erupted into applause.

Roman broke down as he announced the heartbreaking news of his "best friend" Joe's passing last year, telling listeners during a live Capital Breakfast show.

"He was with me right from my very first show. He taught me everything. I don't know sitting in a radio studio without him," Roman said.

"He's the person I'd sit here and rinse constantly. He loved his family so much. His dad Ivan, his mum Celia, his sister Lou.

"He did love his friends… his fans, he did have fans. The thing he loved most of all was doing this show, you listening.

"He was like a genius coming up with these ideas. He was driven by the reaction from you every day."

Roman broke down in tears earlier this year as he opened up on struggling with suicidal thoughts a year before Joe's passing.

In a touching BBC documentary titled Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency, Roman explored male mental health and discussed his own struggles with depression.

The radio show host revealed he has been taking antidepressants since 15 in the touching BBC documentary.

In a clip, Roman, who got a tribute tattoo to his late friend, prepared his breakfast and took medication as the cameraman asked him what it was for.

He explains that one pill was a vitamin D tablet, and the other was an antidepressant. Roman said: "I've taken this tablet for 12 years. I'm 27 now, so I started when I was 15.

"They help me massively. They make my mood normal, they make me feel normal. They stop me from worrying about things that are in my head, and that worry takes over sometimes."

Roman explained how, a year before his friend Joe tragically died, he struggled with suicidal thoughts.

He said: "There was one day in particular, a year before Joe died, when I was at my lowest.

"I just got caught out on my own brain on everything. How I looked, what I was doing wrong work-wise… 'Am I doing my job because of who my dad is? Am I being a good boyfriend'?

"I just remember being in the bedroom and not knowing what to do and the only thing I could do was go to the floor on my knees with my hands around my head and just crying, and just I remember saying to myself: 'What's the point? Why am I carrying on?'

"And I just know that I just called my mum and I said to her… I think I wasn't making sense, I was just crying. And she got in the car, and she made sure that my sister was on the phone to me the whole time, she didn't let me put the phone down."

Roman breaks down in tears as he admits: "I'm so glad that I made that phone call."

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.

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