Radio DJ Roman Kemp has opened up about the conversation he had with Lewis Capaldi after the singer's 'hard to watch' performance at Glastonbury.
Festival-goers did their best to support Capaldi after he took to the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm last weekend, where he could be seen struggling through his set and at points stopping singing altogether.
Capaldi previously took a break from shows in an attempt to get some rest after announcing he has Tourette's, but in a post shared after the festival he admitted he needs to 'spend much more time getting [his] mental and physical health in order'.
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Kemp, who is friends with Capaldi, was among those watching the Glastonbury performance and has since told Metro it was 'really hard to watch'.
"It was really, really sad," he continued.
"I’m proud of him. But I’m more proud that he’s decided to step away. Because it is lovely seeing him up there, and it’s lovely seeing the crowd doing it, but this is someone’s life.
"When I saw him doing that he stopped being Lewis Capaldi and I thought, hang on a minute. That’s my mate. And he’s not in a good way here."
Kemp said he felt sad because he could see Capaldi struggling, adding: "I know in his head he’ll be thinking, “F**k, this is my moment. It should have been different'."
The Capital FM host spoke with Capaldi after the gig to say 'well done', and encouraged him to take the time he needed out of the spotlight.
Kemp explained: "He said to me, he goes: “What do you think? I think I’m going to take some time. It’s just scary because you build all this stuff up and you don’t want to lose it'."
In response to Capaldi's concerns, Kemp said: "Man, look at the amount of people that are there. They’re not going to forget you.
"It’s just funny that your song is called 'Forget Me', but like, remember that you can go to sleep tonight having done something that’s a bucket list for any artist."
Kemp added that the main thing for Capaldi to focus on now is to 'get himself better'.
"That’s what I told him, that’s what I said to him," he said.
Kemp admitted that Glastonbury 'came too soon' for Capaldi, but added: "Look, he had to give it a go. He would have kicked himself if he didn’t."
In his statement after Glastonbury, Capaldi said he would be taking a break for 'the foreseeable future'.
Topics: Lewis Capaldi, Celebrity, Health, Mental Health, Glastonbury
Emily Brown