Phoebe WilsonAs Roman Kemp marks a busy summer on British screens — hosting The One Show and appearing alongside his father Martin on Celebrity Gogglebox in June 2026 — the broadcaster's frank account of his sleep apnoea diagnosis continues to resonate with viewers who recognise themselves in his story. He described the condition to doctors who told him it was like running a half-marathon in his sleep every single night without ever properly resting. He had spent years not knowing anything was wrong.
Kemp left Capital FM's breakfast show in March 2024 after a decade at the station. Sleep apnoea was a central factor. But his experience is far from unique — it is, in fact, alarmingly common, and almost certainly far more widespread than official figures suggest.
What Roman Kemp's Diagnosis Revealed About Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea is a condition in which a person's breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. For Kemp, the impact was cumulative: years of disrupted sleep, chronic fatigue, and reduced cognitive sharpness that he had not attributed to a clinical cause. The condition had gone entirely undetected until he underwent formal sleep testing — at which point the extent of it became clear.
This is the rule, not the exception. Research published in Sleep Advances in 2026 found that obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) remains significantly under-diagnosed in the UK, with incidence rates increasing steadily over the past decade. By 2023, the estimated rate had reached 91 per 100,000 person-years in England — but experts believe the true figure is considerably higher, since many people manage the symptoms without ever seeking investigation.
The link to obesity is a key driver. According to University College London Hospitals' Biomedical Research Centre, sleep apnoea rates in the UK have nearly doubled over twenty years, rising in parallel with obesity rates. Yet weight is not the only risk factor. Jaw structure, nasal anatomy, age, and alcohol consumption all contribute — meaning many otherwise healthy individuals remain in the dark, sometimes for decades.
A Condition That Mimics Everyday Tiredness
The insidious nature of sleep apnoea lies in how ordinary its symptoms appear. Persistent daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, morning headaches, loud snoring, and waking with a dry mouth or sore throat are all hallmarks — but also characteristics most people attribute to stress, late nights, or simply getting older.
Kemp described not realising anything was wrong until tests revealed the extent of what was happening overnight. This delayed recognition is what health professionals find most concerning. Without treatment, OSA raises the risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, irregular heartbeat, and stroke. The NHS estimates that around 1.5 million people in England have OSA that warrants treatment, yet a significant proportion remain undiagnosed.
New pharmacological options are beginning to expand the treatment landscape. In 2025, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved tirzepatide specifically for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea in adults with obesity — marking the first approval in Britain targeting OSA alongside weight management. NHS access in 2026 remains limited and specialist-gated, but the development reflects a broader shift in how the medical community frames the condition: not as a simple nuisance, but as a serious, treatable disorder with systemic consequences.
What If That's You? A Real Scenario With Real Numbers
Consider this situation. You are 44 years old, working full-time in Birmingham. Your partner has mentioned your snoring for years — occasionally waking you up, regularly retreating to the spare room. You go to bed at a reasonable hour but wake exhausted. By 2 pm, you struggle to concentrate. You have put this down to your workload.
According to NHS diagnostic thresholds, if you stop breathing more than five times per hour during sleep — a measure called the Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index, or AHI — you meet the criteria for mild OSA. Above 15 events per hour is classified as moderate. Above 30 events per hour is classified as severe. Roman Kemp's doctors described his experience as equivalent to running a half-marathon every night, which is consistent with a moderate to severe classification.
If your AHI is above 15: you are likely a candidate for CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) therapy — the NHS gold-standard treatment. This involves sleeping with a mask that maintains open airflow throughout the night. Most people who comply with CPAP report meaningful improvements in daytime energy within two to four weeks of consistent use.
If your AHI falls between 5 and 15: lifestyle adjustments — weight management, alcohol reduction, sleeping on your side rather than your back — may be the first-line recommendation. A sleep physician will monitor whether the condition progresses before escalating treatment.
The critical point: without a formal overnight sleep study, these thresholds are invisible to you. You cannot self-diagnose sleep apnoea by how tired you feel. The numbers only emerge from an objective test — which is precisely why so many people, including Roman Kemp, go undetected for years. Getting that test requires either a GP referral or a private consultation. This is where a health specialist's role becomes essential: not just for diagnosis, but for matching treatment to your specific AHI score, body profile, and daily demands.
Important: this article provides general health information only. If you are experiencing symptoms that concern you, always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
The Expert Perspective: Earlier Diagnosis Changes Outcomes
Sleep specialists consistently emphasise that the consequences of untreated OSA compound over time. A ten-year retrospective cohort study published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2026 tracking OSA patients across England found that untreated individuals had significantly elevated rates of cardiovascular events compared to those who began CPAP therapy within twelve months of diagnosis. Each year of delay narrows the window in which treatment can prevent long-term damage.
The professional and personal dimensions are equally significant. Kemp's departure from Capital FM illustrates the occupational consequences: jobs requiring sustained alertness, fast information recall, or emotional performance — broadcasting, nursing, teaching, driving, customer-facing roles — are directly compromised by chronic sleep debt caused by undiagnosed OSA. For many patients, the catalyst for seeking help is not the symptom itself but a professional consequence that makes the fatigue impossible to continue ignoring.
Mental health consequences are increasingly understood as part of the same picture. As explored in coverage of high-profile cases involving sleep and wellbeing, the relationship between sleep, psychological recovery, and long-term performance is something health professionals now approach in an integrated way — treating the physical and emotional dimensions together rather than separately.
Connecting with a health expert early — before occupational, cardiovascular, or cognitive consequences accumulate — is the approach that consistently produces the best outcomes. Kemp's story resonates because it names something many people feel but have never investigated.
How to Take the Next Step
The NHS pathway for suspected OSA begins with your GP, who can refer you for a home sleep study or overnight pulse oximetry test. Results typically take two to four weeks, and confirmed OSA leads to a referral to a sleep clinic where treatment options are discussed in detail.
Privately, the pathway can move faster. Many clinics offer home testing kits with results within seven to ten days, and a consultation with a sleep physician within two weeks of receiving those results. The total cost of private home testing typically ranges from £150 to £350.
The questions most worth asking at any consultation:
- What is my AHI score, and what severity bracket does that place me in?
- Is CPAP the right first-line treatment for my profile, or are alternatives appropriate?
- Which lifestyle factors are most relevant to my specific situation?
- How long should I expect before I notice a meaningful difference?
According to the NHS guidance on obstructive sleep apnoea, a witnessed apnoea event — a partner or family member observing your breathing stop during sleep — is one of the most reliable diagnostic indicators and, in itself, a strong reason to pursue formal assessment without delay.
Roman Kemp had the opportunity to receive his diagnosis before the professional and health consequences became irreversible. Many people do not take that opportunity because the fatigue feels too ordinary to investigate. If his account sounds familiar, a conversation with a health specialist — available through ExpertZoom's network of UK practitioners — is the most direct route from recognition to resolution.
