EastEnders legend Martin Kemp, 63, has recalled an incident that left him struggling for breath after being punched by a fan.
The Spandau Ballet icon played Walford bad boy Steve Owen from 1998 until 2002, and the character certainly ruffled feathers.
During his time on Albert Square, Steve made an enemy of the Mitchell brother’s, married Mel Owen and bludgeoned Saskia Duncan to death.
Steve’s (literally) explosive exit saw him lose his life after crashing his car during a dramatic car chase, with the vehicle bursting into flames with him trapped inside.
Speaking to son Roman on the FFS! My Dad is Martin Kemp podcast, Martin recalled an interaction with a fan of the BBC soap who wasn’t impressed by Steve’s dodgy behaviour.
‘I was punched in the chest once, really hard. Hard enough to stop me breathing, you know when you can’t breathe?’ He revealed.
‘I was walking down Tottenham Court Road thinking, Oh yeah, life’s good”, and I was Steve Owen in EastEnders.
‘Tottenham Court Road, on my own, and you know you don’t want people to recognise you so I’ve got my baseball cap on and my head’s down a little bit, so my eyes are not looking what’s in front of me and I’m looking down at the pavement.
‘I was walking to Groucho’s at the end of Tottenham Court Road and someone walked up to me, completely out of the blue, and said: “Steve Owen, I owe you this,” and punched me as hard as they could in the chest, in my ribcage. I could not breathe.’
He went on to explain how the altercation left him struggling for breath as he watched the culprit run off down the road, and that the people around him avoided the incident.
As well as starring in EastEnders, Martin has had roles in series like The Bill, Heartbeat and Waterloo Road.
He received critical acclaim for his role as Reggie Kray opposite brother Gary in the 1990 film The Krays, and has continued to appear in movies.
Most recently, he starred in A Gangster’s Kiss alongside fellow EastEnders stars Patsy Kensit and Michelle Collins.
