It was supposed to be just another story around the campfire.
Instead, Martin Kemp dropped a revelation so tender — and so unexpected — it stopped the conversation in its tracks.
As marriage tales were swapped in the jungle, the Spandau Ballet star calmly shared the moment that shaped everything that followed: a wedding night miracle, whispered almost as an aside — yet powerful enough to define nearly four decades of devotion.
A Clifftop Wedding — and a Moment That Changed Everything
Back in 1988, Martin and Shirlie Holliman didn’t opt for spectacle or celebrity fanfare. They flew quietly to St Lucia, exchanging vows on a clifftop overlooking the Caribbean — with just three people present.
“It was so simple,” Martin joked.
“If you looked closely, you’d probably discover we’re not even married.”
But it was what happened after the ceremony that left campmates stunned — and laughing.
Before the wedding, the couple had been trying for a baby. Shirlie, Martin explained, had been struggling with endometriosis, making pregnancy uncertain.
Then came his perfectly timed punchline.
“And then,” he said, grinning,
“on the night we got married — kaboom.”
The camp erupted.
Lisa Riley clapped her hands and shouted: “Meant to be!”
“She’s My Everything”
Later, in the Bush Telegraph, Martin’s tone shifted.
Gone was the humour — replaced by something far quieter, and far deeper.
“Our marriage isn’t built on glamour,” he said softly.
“It’s built on friendship.”
Then came the line viewers won’t forget.
“Shirlie is everything to me. Everything I do in my life — I do it for her.”
It wasn’t a grand declaration.
It was a promise — spoken like someone who’s lived by it every day since.
The Love Story That Almost Didn’t Happen
The Love Story That Almost Didn’t HappenRemarkably, their relationship nearly never began at all.
Martin first spotted Shirlie performing with Pepsi & Shirlie on Top of the Pops in 1982.
“I couldn’t take my eyes off her,” he recalled.
But when he finally approached her at a VIP screening weeks later, she didn’t return his call — for three weeks.
Shirlie later admitted she was intimidated. He was famous, handsome, a pop star — and she feared he’d be “too much.”
Enter George Michael.
Growing impatient, George reportedly grabbed the phone, dialled the number himself, and shoved it into Shirlie’s hand.
Martin’s mum answered.
“Nervously, I said: ‘Is Martin there, please?’” Shirlie recalled.
That slightly awkward call sparked a love story that’s lasted 37 years.
Their first date?
Chaperoned — by George Michael.
“We spent the whole night trying to lose him,” Martin laughed.
A Family Born From That Night
A Family Born From That NightExactly one year after their Caribbean wedding, the couple welcomed their daughter Harley Moon in 1989, followed by their son Roman Kemp in 1993.
Through fame, illness, success and loss, Martin and Shirlie have remained one of Britain’s most quietly admired showbiz marriages — not flashy, not performative, but deeply rooted.
And Then… the James Bond Revelation
Just when the night seemed complete, Martin casually dropped one final bombshell.
He revealed he was once in serious contention to play James Bond, meeting directly with producer Barbara Broccoli before the role ultimately went to Pierce Brosnan.
The camp gasped.
Kelly Brook summed up what fans immediately felt:
“He would’ve been perfect. Tall. Blue eyes. Charisma. He’s got it.”
Social media agreed instantly.
“Martin Kemp would’ve been the sexiest Bond.”
“Top-tier Bond — no debate.”
“I’d have watched every film.”
A Quiet Legacy of Love
Yet for Martin, none of it compares to what matters most.
Not the fame.
Not the roles he didn’t get.
Not even the milestones.
Just the woman he married on a clifftop — and the promise he’s kept ever since.
Thirty-seven years on, his truth remains unchanged:
Everything he does…
He does for her. 