Now they’ve renovated their dream Victorian home, which they purchased in 2021, Martin and Shirlie Kemp are spoilt for choice with bedrooms.
While they haven’t revealed how many bedrooms their stunning home features, they will have at least two spare rooms for their grown-up children Roman and Harley Moon when they visit – as well as a separate cottage on the grounds.
© MelMediaTraditionally, couples stay in the same bed, but Martin revealed they had switched up their sleeping arrangements, albeit temporarily.
During a discussion about their illnesses on FFS! My Dad Is Martin Kemp Podcast, the former Spandau Ballet star said: “Mum was ill last week and she could not get out of bed. She must have been 100 degrees. At one point, I had to move out of our bedroom, into the spare bedroom, because it felt like there was an electric blanket on in the bed.
“It wasn’t, it was mum. It was the heat coming off of her.”
Martin added that as a child, he would also change where he slept when he was ill, swapping his bed for the carpeted floor near the fire to be close to the warmth
© InstagramHe recalled: “I’d go in the bedroom. [My parents would] make it really nice and warm. Put a paraffin fire on in the corner of the room. Paraffin fire, because we didn’t have central heating.
“Our house was so cold, you can’t imagine. So a paraffin fire used to sit in this corner of the room, which is so dangerous. It’s like contained within like a tin implement,” he began, with Roman describing the indoor flames as “outrageous.”
“I think I used to sleep on the floor. [The paraffin fire] used to sit on the carpet, which is even worse,” Martin added.
Sleep divorce
© Getty ImagesWhile Martin and Shirlie’s separate bedrooms were prompted by the Pepsi & Shirlie star’s illness, many couples choose sleep divorce due to snoring, temperature differences, duvet hogging and more. For example, Donald and Melania Trump, and Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden reportedly sleep apart.
© Can Nguyen/ShutterstockHe added that there are several benefits of prioritising your sleep, even if that means drifting off in different rooms. “Studies have shown that 33 per cent go to bed earlier or later than they would like, to accommodate their partner; this suggests that a third of people are getting less sleep than their body needs, or are lying awake, struggling to sleep, because they’ve gone to bed too early.
“Being able to have different firmness of mattress, a preferred temperature in the room, and a different bedtime routine, means you can each have the sleep that is best for you,” Martin explained.
He continued: “Studies have shown that couples who sleep poorly have more marital conflict than those who sleep well. A sleep divorce can help reduce these conflicts, and lead to a happy and more peaceful relationship.”
Martin and Shirlie’s home
Martin and Shirlie have shown off their home renovations on their dedicated Instagram account, @maisionnumber9. This includes their neutral kitchen, their second cottage, and their work outhouse known as ‘Piglet.’
© InstagramBeing able to put their stamp on the home was something they had always desired. Shirlie explained: “We took an old house that was completely run down, and we knocked every single wall and ceiling down that you can imagine and we rebuilt something that would be perfect for us. That is what we have now and what we’re doing now is just finishing touches.
“That was always something that we spoke about when we were moving from house to house. We tried new houses and old houses, but we always said we’d love to find something we could do from scratch. And that is what happened, that was the ultimate dream.”
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