Ross Kemp's 'rollercoaster' first marriage and wife who 'straightened him out'

Daily Record

06-05-2025

Ross Kemp has been married twice and is a proud father of four. The former EastEnders actor's first marriage was to Rebekah Wade, and he described their relationship as a 'rollercoaster'
Ross Kemp returns to our screens this week as he delves into his family history on the popular series Who Do You Think You Are? But how much do you know about his life behind the scenes?
From a turbulent first marriage to becoming a father of four, we take a closer look at the EastEnders star's personal life beyond the spotlight...
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Rebekah Wade
Ross encountered his first spouse, Rebekah Wade, at a golf event; she was then serving as deputy editor of News of the World while he played the iconic role on EastEnders. The duo pledged their commitment in 1996 but hit pause in 1997 citing 'work pressures', reports the Mirror.
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They soon reunited, leading to a Las Vegas wedding in June 2002.
Their marriage, however, experienced turbulence, with Rebekah confessing later on that their union resembled a 'rollercoaster', openly acknowledging infidelity.
By 2006, the partnership unravelled, ending in divorce by March 2009. In the same year, Rebekah tied the knot with racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks.
Reflecting on her departure from Ross, she remarked: "I think we were both working incredibly long hours... in completely different industries. The whole relationship was a bit of a roller coaster. Sometimes it was really good, and sometimes it wasn't so. I think that's how he would describe it."
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Renee O'Brien
In 2012, Ross tied the knot with his second wife, Australian native Renee O'Brien, and they continue to enjoy marital bliss.
The couple prefers to keep their personal life under wraps, hence little is known about Renee. However, Ross has occasionally mentioned his wife in interviews.
While discussing the demanding nature of his filming schedule, the ex-EastEnders actor expressed remorse over spending time away from his family.
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Speaking to Metro Online, he confessed: "Guilt, I think that's part and parcel of it. But I think, my wife didn't really know me from my soap days [...] So when we [he and Renee] first got together, she just thought I was some kind of grumpy old bald bloke like in a bar – and she's probably right about that today, I'm still a grumpy old bald bloke in a bar."
During a 2022 interview on the Plot Twist podcast, he delved deeper into why his marriage has stood the test of time. "Renee's pretty practical, she's Australian, she's a lawyer, she's very straight. She'd never seen EastEnders. She had no idea I was Grant Mitchell or anything like that and she didn't really understand that I was doing documentaries," Ross explained.
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He also disclosed how he behaved poorly during the initial stages of their relationship, but Renee managed to 'straighten him out'. He admitted: "I'd just come back from Afghanistan when I first met her and I generally behaved quite badly the first four or five weeks."
"I've changed now, obviously, but I used to go on a bit of a bender with some of the guys, and she sort of straightened me out. But she knows what I do and you know, there's a great saying, particularly used by mates of mine in the armed forces, which is 'quick goodbyes and long hellos'."
Children
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Ross proudly dotes on his four children. Following his divorce from first wife Rebekah, his next relationship with makeup artist Nicole Coleman saw the arrival of his first son.
With Renee, he had three more children: son Leo, born in 2015, and twins Ava and Kitty, who arrived in 2017.
In an interview with Mail Online back in 2019, Ross expressed contentment with his family life, saying, "I'm very happy I've got my children and wouldn't have it any other way. I could have done it about a decade earlier though, I should've done."
He reflected on his previous lifestyle before fatherhood, noting: "I was old, I was in my 40s, I was quite selfish before, in terms of you put yourself first, you look at what's going to be best for you and that totally goes out the window when you have children, you put your children way in front of everything you do."