'I said, "Oh you look really fit!"': Roman Kemp reveals he complimented Kate Middleton's looks in an awkward royal blunder that left him 'mortified'

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Roman Kemp has revealed his embarrassment after making an awkward royal blunder with the Princess of Wales.

The 29-year-old radio host appeared on Thursday's Loose Women where he confessed to calling Kate Middleton 'fit' at Buckingham Palace.

He said: 'There was a party in Buckingham Palace, it was an honour to be there. As I was walking across the room, Princess Catherine said, “Oh Roman you look great”, and I said, “Oh you look really fit”.

Mortified: Roman Kemp has revealed his embarrassment after making an awkward royal blunder with the Princess of Wales

He added: 'I was mortified, I’ve never said that to anyone!'

Elsewhere in the chat, Roman opened up about his mental health, revealing his mum, Shirlie, 'saved my life' after a breakdown.

He explained: 'I’ve always struggled, I go through phases every two months or so where I go through a real dip in my thought process and I have to pull myself out of it. 

Blunder: The 29-year-old radio host appeared on Thursday's Loose Women where he confessed to calling Kate Middleton 'fit' at Buckingham Palace

'And there was a point where I was in a dip and it went further and further and I had a bit of a breakdown. 

'And my mum talked to me on the phone over and over again and got me through it, I put it all down to my mum, my mum saved my life.’

Discussing his mental health, Roman said: ‘It’s been very well documented over the last couple of years. My life has moved into becoming a poster boy for speaking about suicide and male depression.

'And it isn’t a question I want people to ask themselves, I want them to ask others. Someone my age is prime for male depression and when it comes to suicide rates and ages, I’m in that sweet spot. 

'I lost my closest friend to suicide two years ago. Grief is such a horrendous thing that all of us have to go through in our lives, I never thought I would have to go through grief about suicide, and it’s so confusing.'

He added: 'My mum has always been my saviour, I’ve written my book to say thank you to my mum and to honour my friend who I lost.

'But my mum Is constantly pushing me to talk about how I feel and speak out, and when I was 15 she said, "I don’t want to take the risk of your behaviour just being a teenage spell, I want to delve deeper and I want to know”. 

'And I was put on antidepressants, which was the best thing for me.'

Embarrassed: He added: 'I was mortified, I’ve never said that to anyone!'

Roman lost his best friend Joe Lyons to suicide in August 2020.

After Joe's death, Roman emotionally addressed fans on his show Sunday Best, which he co-hosts with his father Martin Kemp, urging them to 'reach out'.

Paying tribute to Joe, he said: 'Before we can start with our usual show, you may have read that it's been an incredibly hard week for me personally, as I lost my best friend...

'It has completely devastated his family, friends, me, my family. I really want to make sure that I use this time right now to say if you are struggling, then please know that you can reach out...

Elsewhere in the chat, Roman opened up about his mental health, revealing his mum, Shirlie, 'saved my life' after a breakdown

'There is always someone you can talk to: your family, friends, colleagues... or anyone from the support charities that are out there...

'At ITV there is the mental wellness initiative called Britain Get Talking, which encourages all of us to reach out and talk to someone.'

Roman also had a tattoo tribute inked onto his leg, to honour his late friend, who was one of his Capital Breakfast show producers.

Discussing his mental health, Roman said: ‘It’s been very well documented over the last couple of years. My life has moved into becoming a poster boy for speaking about suicide and male depression. Roman Kemp says his mum saved his life during bout with depression'

Explained why he had chosen his bird design tattoo, he wrote on Instagram: '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...'

In March, Roman fronted a BBC documentary 'Our Silent Emergency' about male suicide and mental health.

The radio host presented the one-off special in a bid to 'show that there are ways to reach those who are suffering' following Joe's death.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details 

Tragic: Roman's best friend Joe, who had been a well-loved producer at Global radio for nine years, died by suicide in August 2020