Roman Kemp previously ‘rinsed’ his late friend Joe Lyons for one of his tattoos which appeared to go wrong but following his death, he had the same inking done
Roman Kemp had the same tattoo as his late friend, despite “rinsing” his pal for it.
The broadcaster previously fronted the Capital FM Breakfast Show for seven years before announcing his departure last year. During his stint on the programme, he instantly became close to those he worked with, including producer Joe Lyons, who was affectionately known as Producer Joe.
Tragically, Joe took his own life in August 2020, while Roman and his co-stars were on air as they struggled to process the devastating news. During the live broadcast, Roman made the decision to continue working as he and his colleagues attempted to figure out what was happening after Joe didn’t turn up at work.
Prior to his sad death aged 31, Joe had a tattoo of a swallow on his shin, which Roman admits he “rinsed” due to it looking like a pigeon. Roman later decided to get the same tattoo done, but he same artist and at the same studio, despite previously saying it looked “awful”.
In a new interview, he has opened up about the moving gesture and revealed he questioned Joe’s decision to have the bird inked on his leg. “I remember the day he got the tattoo, I was like, ‘Why have you got that?'” he told The Observer Magazine. The 31-year-old went on to add: “I just kept rinsing him: ‘They’ve done it wrong, t looks like a pigeon.’
“Then after he died, I got it in the exact same position by the same artist. It’s not for some divine meaning or whatever, I just wanted something on me to look down and make me smile. And, to me, it’ll never be a swallow, it will always be a pigeon.” After having the tattoo done, Roman took to Instagram to reveal he’d had the swallow inked in the exact same position as Joe.
He told fans in 2020: “Joe had this tattoo and I always used to say it was awful and looked like a pigeon, so I got it in the same spot,” as he shared a side-by-side comparison snap. Since Joe’s death, Roman has been a huge advocate for men’s mental health, having previously opened up about his own struggles.
The presenter ignited a fresh conversation after his documentary, Our Silent Emergency, during which he spoke of his own experience with depression and panic attacks, as well as being prescribed the anti-depressant, sertraline. The documentary saw a staggering number of young people reach out to the Samaritans about their own mental health.
He followed this with another documentary in 2023, Roman Kemp: The Fight for Young Lives, as he explored ways to prevent suicide. Speaking to the Mirror last year, Roman revealed that he made the decision to walk away from Capital after he continuously relived the day he discovered his best friend had died.
In a raw interview, he told us: “It’s to do what happened for me. That sounds wild but I mean it, it’s not normal, imagine a tragedy happened in your house you’re going to want to move,” he commented, adding: “The bosses at Capital know this and I said it, it’s difficult, I went through such a horrible moment in that room in that studio, four years on and I’ve been living that same day over and over again, without the awful event.”
If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit their site to find your local branch
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