Ross Kemp couldn’t get a girlfriend because he didn’t have a car.
The TV star – who is set to appear on National Geographic restoration programme ‘Car S.O.S Special: 7 Day Challenge’ – has opened up about his love for motors and admitted he struggled to find love until he got a vehicle for his own.
He said: "I’ve always loved cars and now have a Ferrari and an Audi. Cars have played a very important role in my life, but when I was growing up in Essex and waiting to go to drama school, I had no money and no car.
"I couldn’t get a girlfriend because, no matter how good your recital of Hamlet was, if you didn’t have a car, no girl was going to look at you!"
For Ross, now 54, it all changed when he landed his first role in ‘Emmerdale’ in 1985 and bought himself a car of his own.
He added: "When I was 20. When I got a job on ‘Emmerdale’, I bought my first car, and when I got a job on ‘EastEnders’, I bought my first house. You can live in a car, but there is more room in a house and the sanitary conditions are better! That first car was a midnight blue Capri."
Although it caused some problems – the insurance company wouldn’t insure actors – he noticed a definite improvement in his chances with the ladies.
He said: "I waited in the service station, and eventually my mum managed to get me insurance. I was three hours late getting to the Railway Hotel in Leeds. But as soon as I parked the car there, girls started saying hello to me. See, I was making up for all those years without a car!"
Meanwhile Ross – who later appeared on ‘EastEnders’ and became known as a journalist through his Bafta-winning ‘Ross Kemp on Gangs’ documentary series – is excited to appear on the special episode of ‘Car S.O.S’ as a big fan of the show.
He revealed: "I’m really excited about it. ‘Car S.O.S’ is a people show, and I like people. It’s not just about driving a flash car and having an opinion about it.
"Most people don’t have the opportunity to drive the flash cars you see on some car shows. But ‘Car S.O.S’ is about the cars real people drive."
Car S.O.S Special: 7 Day Challenge, Thursday 14th February at 8pm & Thursday 21st February at 8pm on National Geographic.
Ross Kemp couldn’t get a girlfriend until he had a car
