Roman Kemp diagnosis: what is sleep apnoea - and what did Capital FM radio host say about ‘retiring young’?

Radio host Roman Kemp recently talked about his sleep apnoea diagnosis in a new interview - something which he described as having been “rubbish”.

Sleep apnoea is a condition in which a person’s breathing stops and starts whilst they sleep and many require the use of an oxygen mask as part of their treatment.

What has Roman Kemp said about his sleep apnoea diagnosis?

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Kemp opened up about his sleep apnoea diagnosis that he received after believing he was suffering from a condition called narcolepsy which, in short, causes a person to suddenly fall asleep.

Sleep apnoea is a condition in which your breathing stops and starts when you’re asleep and, in order to tackle it, Kemp must wear an oxygen mask to bed.

He said: “I recently got diagnosed with sleep apnoea, which has been rubbish.

“My tiredness levels were debilitating, and they said to me it was because of my job and I said this is different.

“I was talking with people where I thought I was verging on narcolepsy because I was mid conversation and would be snoring and not realising, it was very strange.

“The doctors told me I must wear an oxygen mask. There is absolutely nothing sexy about going back to Roman Kemp’s house.

“They are expecting candles and mood lighting but they’re getting a Darth Vader impression into an oxygen tank. My love life will look like a niche Channel 5 documentary!”

What is sleep apnoea?

The NHS defines sleep apnoea as “when your breathing stops and stops while you sleep”, with the most common type called “obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)”.

Symptoms of the condition mainly happen whilst a person is asleep and include:

• Breathing stopping and starting
• Making gasping, snorting or choking noises
• Waking up a lot
• Loud snoring

Some symptoms can also happen during the day as well, such as:

• Feeling very tired
• Finding it hard to concentrate 
• Having mood swings
• Having a headache when you wake up

You should visit your GP if you have any of the main symptoms of sleep apnoea, like your breathing stopping and starting in your sleep, making gasping, snorting or choking noises while you sleep or always feeling tired during the day.

What did Roman Kemp say about ‘retiring young’?

In the interview, Kemp said that “the reason I work” is because he wants to be able to “retire as a young person”.

He said: “I am terrified that I will spend my life on a tiny island that is the UK trying to get people to like me.

“I want to get to the point where I start a family and do what I want to do. I want to be a stay-at-home dad and open a dog sanctuary.”

Kemp opened up about feeling jealous of former Radio 1 breakfast show Nick Grimshaw who has left the station.

He said: “I have done the Capital breakfast show for five years now, which has gone by in an instant.

“I remember when I first got the gig, I spoke to Nick Grimshaw, and I said, “What am I in for?”. He said, “It’s tough, but it’s the most fun you will ever have.” I can only say that he’s right.

“I am so jealous of Nick’s life now because he’s having so much fun, he’s doing whatever he wants, he looks so happy, and he looks healthy. I can see the benefits of not doing a radio show.”

Kemp added: “I want a decade on the air at least. I would love to be able to say I did a decade on that show - whether my bosses will allow that i don’t know.

“Radio takes a long time, it takes two years to built an audience so really I’ve only had two years with them.”