Roman Kemp announces on air he’s leaving Capital
On his Capital Breakfast show this morning, Roman Kemp announced he’s leaving the station.
Earlier on, he posted on X that he had a big announcement after 8am.
Speaking directly to Capital breakfast listeners, with co-hosts Sian Welby and Chris Stark, Roman said: “What I can tell you is I’m not saying goodbye right now, I’m not leaving the show today and that’s it, but it’s not far away. It will come and that goodbye will come in five to six weeks.
“It’s not a decision that has come overnight either, it’s massive, I’ve not found it easy at all. Capital is my family, you as the wonderful listeners that you’ve been, you’ve been with me at my best times and my absolute lowest. […] Capital and Global have helped changed me.
“I was 22 years old when I first joined Capital and it’s built me into the man that I am today, it is all that I know. But I know that now is the right time to leave and now is the right time to move on.
“You listening, and the people in this room, every single person in this room, my producing team, Sian and Chris, Sonny who has done it in the past and Vick Hope who had done it in the past. It’s everyone.
“The next couple of weeks as I kind of approach the end of my time here on Capital, it’s going to be so tough. I love this place so much, I love it. I love the station, I love everything about it, Capital is my family. And I also love the connection that you and I, the listeners, have built together. It’s changed. I know that it started out as me being just Martin Kemp’s son, I hope that now you can call me your friend.”
Roman says “I’ve loved every single moment of my time at Capital. The last 10 years have been amazing and hosting the legendary Capital Breakfast is the best job ever. But after almost seven years of early alarms, I’m looking forward to some lie-ins and it’s time to hand over the baton! It’s been a privilege and an honour to wake up millions of people every day. It’s the best job in radio and I’ll miss our listeners and the team at Global lots. Whoever the next host of Capital Breakfast is, they’re in for the most incredible ride.”
Roman joined Capital in 2014 before hosting the The Capital Evening Show in 2016. In 2017 he moved to Capital Breakfast and took the show nationwide in 2019.
Ashley Tabor-King CBE, Founder & Executive President of Global, said: “Roman, it’s been a pleasure. You’ve been a fantastic host and custodian of one of the biggest shows in UK radio, the Capital breakfast show. I’ve loved watching you grow and grow as a broadcaster and as a person and I wish you all the very best for whatever comes next.”
James Rea, Chief Broadcasting and Content Officer at Global, added: “Roman has been a first-class presenter and it’s been fantastic to have him on the team. I want to thank him for the incredible job he’s done for Capital over the last 10 years. We look forward to announcing the new Capital Breakfast soon.”
The move is not unexpected after rumours in the press over the past week or so, particularly after Jordan North’s sudden departure from Radio 1, but there’s no word yet on Roman’s replacement, but whoever it is “will be confirmed very soon”, the station says.
Roman leaves the station in six weeks.
👋🏼❤️ pic.twitter.com/7FuhhjeyKq
— roman kemp (@romankemp) February 19, 2024