Ross has been at the centre of rumours that he may be returning to EastEnders for the show’s 40th birthday celebrations and he has now suggested there might be something ‘big’ on the horizon
Television hardman Ross Kemp has hinted at a return to EastEnders for the soap’s 40th next year – also revealing how he stays fit at 60.
Now known for presenting hard-hitting documentaries on everything from gangs, to pirates and the Mafia – as well as reporting from war zones like Afghanistan – Ross admits he has been “talking to people” at the BBC soap.
Swaggering into Albert Square in 1990 as tough guy Grant Mitchell, asked if would make a comeback for the 40th anniversary in February, Ross tells The Mirror: “You’re not going to let that pass, are you? Forty years is a very long time.”
Refusing to be drawn on who exactly he is talking to at EastEnders, he says: “I’ve recently had a chat with a couple of them. I can’t tell you what I’m doing at the moment, but yes, I’m talking. I stay in contact with certain people, but I’m not going to mention any names.”
Secrets dad-of-four Ross, who turned 60 in July, is happy to spill concern his fitness regime as he enters his seventh decade.
He says: “On a Tuesday or a Thursday if I wasn’t working, I’d see my mate Daryl who’s an ex-military PT and was a Marine in the 90s, and train with him for an hour. He’s very much about looking after your body and exercising the right way as you get older.
“I want to be around for a bit longer for my kids.“
Yoga and martial arts are two disciplines recommended for over 60s by the star, who adds: “As you get older you’ll potentially fall over more and if you haven’t got the muscles in place to be able to prepare yourself for the impact, then you’re going to hurt yourself more.
“I think lifting weights in the right way for your body and levels of fitness is going to keep your bones stronger longer. It’s going to increase your longevity.”
As well as working out with Daryl, Ross teams up with another pal Dave Knight – an over-40 Jiu Jitsu champion.
And he swears by dog walking.
He says: “The walk is a really important part of my exercise. I’ve found in later life, rather than constantly smashing yourself into the ground, which is still good to do occasionally, it’s important to give yourself time to recover, because that’s when the exercise is being used by your body, to regenerate.
“You don’t build muscle while you’re exercising, you build it while you recover, and that’s something I didn’t know.”
Better known for investigating gangs and organisations like the Mafia, Ross is currently involved in a campaign for Smart Energy GB. He has answered customers’ questions about the devices and discovered four out of five people are happy with their smart meters.
With a demanding work schedule, Ross also swears by exercise to boost mental health.
He says: “If you exercise, you feel better internally. There’s a reward system inside your body that rewards you with endorphins.
“I go to yoga – not as much as I’d like to. If you’re doing hot yoga, that is a proper workout. It’s also good for your internal organs. It moves those around.”
But being a dad is, Ross says, his most important job.
“When you’ve got young children, there is no routine,” he says. “There’s always something getting in the way, whether it’s someone is sick, or someone needs to go to gymnastics, or somebody needs picking up from football.
“My wife has always maintained, no matter whether I’m in a prison involved with criminals or in the desert in Afghanistan, when I get back, it’s up to myself to pick up slack. So there’s little time for R’n’R. I basically get back on set and I’m back to being an old dad, which is what I am. And I wouldn’t have it any other way, to be honest.”
