Earlier than heading Down Underneath to deal with Bushtucker trials and survive on rice and beans on I’m A Celeb, Martin Kemp was protecting busy with paintbrushes and gardening instruments.
The Spandau Ballet star, 64, has fully reworked his household dwelling into a comfy cottage alongside spouse Shirlie, and has given followers a glimpse inside in the course of the course of.
The couple, who’ve been married since 1988, have renovated the Victorian property into their dream dwelling – the proper place for Martin to return to after weeks on finish sleeping in a hammock amongst critters.
Documenting the transformation on their Instagram account, Maison Quantity 9, Pepsi icon Shirlie typically shares movies of herself protecting busy within the backyard which she’s now preparing for Christmas.
The pair fully gutted the property and spent over a yr tackling the renovations, with Wham! star Shirlie revealing: ‘We took an outdated home that was fully run down, and we knocked each single wall and ceiling down possible, and we rebuilt one thing that might be excellent for us.’
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She added to HELLO!: ‘What we’re doing now’s simply ending touches. That was at all times one thing that we spoke about after we have been shifting from home to deal with.
(Image: Maison#9 by Shirlie Kemp/Instagram)
(Image: Maison #9 by Shirlie Kemp/Instagram)
‘We tried new homes and outdated homes, however we at all times mentioned we’d love to search out one thing we may so from scratch. And that’s what occurred, that was the last word dream.’
And the newly-renovated kitchen is nothing in need of a dream, with modern touches all through, a big central island and brass lighting, it’s been described by Shirlie as a ‘calm area’ for the household to get pleasure from.
‘The very first thing I do when strolling right into a room is think about it completely empty. I actually preferred the form of this kitchen, it was simple to see what I wanted to do,’ she mentioned.
‘I used to be going to knock a wall down and make it extra open however modified my thoughts because the undertaking went on.’
Shirlie and Martin additionally determined to ditch the pig shed which was beforehand within the backyard and as an alternative opted for a ‘romantic rustic eating room’.
It was beforehand nicknamed ‘piglet’ by the couple and is alleged to have dated again to 1940, however with a broken roof they have been left with no selection however to overtake it.
(Image: Maison #9 by Shirlie Kemp/Instagram)
‘It took me some time to color Piglet white inside because the patina on the outdated a part of the partitions had a heat Tuscany like appeal, however on the identical time I wished to make use of the area as a images studio, so I adopted my intestine and painted the partitions, ceiling and ground all white and I completely like it,’ Shirlie mentioned.
‘I knew I may flip this outdated pig shed right into a romantic rustic eating room.’
How lengthy have Martin and Shirlie Kemp been collectively?
Martin and Shirlie have been going robust for many years, having tied the knot in 1988.
In reality, a really well-known musician had a job to play in them getting collectively within the first place, because it was George Michael who performed Cupid.
Talking to the Every day Mail in 2019, Martin shared: ‘I’d seen Wham! on High of the Pops singing Younger Weapons, and I couldn’t take my eyes off Shirlie. I assumed she was probably the most lovely girl I’d seen.
‘Two weeks later, we have been at some VIP screening, and there she was. I gave her my quantity, however she didn’t name me for 3 weeks.’
Shirlie chimed in to defend herself: ‘It wasn’t as a result of I didn’t wish to name. He was this massive pop star, and I used to be scared he could be a correct pop star. He was so handsome.’
Collectively the couple share TV presenter son Roman, 32, and singer daughter Harley Moon, 36, each of whom are competing on BBC’s Celeb Race Throughout the World.
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