Roman Kemp thanked Captial listeners for “saving my life” amid his ongoing battle with depression as he concluded his final Breakfast show after a decade at the station.
During his 10-year stint on the station, the 31-year-old bravely opened up about his mental health issues in a bid to raise awareness and break the taboo of suicide in young males.
The One Show presenter, who has been living with depression since he was 15, was motivated to do so following the tragic death of his best friend and colleague, Joe Lyons, in 2020.
On Thursday, Kemp became emotional as he expressed gratitude to his millions of listeners for bringing joy and laughter into his professional life, even though his personal life often faced significant challenges.
The radio star tearfully began: “I know that there is a lot of people listening right now, and I wanted to take the time to say thank you.
“I was more nervous about saying I was leaving than actually leaving this show.
“This show is run by so many people behind the scenes who try so hard to give you that bit of energy in the morning and to try and get you up and feeling good, but I think what I want to get across is just how much fun I've had on this station in the past ten years.
“It has changed my life in so many ways and I have grown up in this place, and that's because of all of you listening. You have been able to be there for me through things that I never imagined would even happen.
“I've had moments on this show where my whole life outside of work is completely down the pan.
“There were times where I didn't want to be here anymore. There have been moments where my life outside of this room has been the worst thing ever. I know a great life, but in my head that's how it felt.
“I knew that all I had in my life were these four hours in my day where I could come to work and in those four hours I knew that I was going to laugh and have fun and be surrounded by people that get me and those four hours and those people that I'm talking about include you - the listeners.
“You have no idea how much you have helped me."
He added: "I want to say thank you for listening, every text, every call, all of it. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.
“I've had the most fun and I owe a huge debt to this company to be able to take a punt on me. I was terrified to take over this show and I'm terrified to leave it. But sometimes with these things, you just know when the right time to move on is and that time is now for me.
“You have helped me so much and you have always backed me and it's been amazing. Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, you have genuinely saved my life at certain times.”
