Ross Kemp has become known for his tough-guy image, but a resurfaced television advert from the 1980s has revealed a very different side of the Celebrity Traitors star.

Long before he became famous as hardman Grant Mitchell in EastEnders, Kemp appeared in a Kellogg’s Fruit ’N Fibre commercial that saw him dressed in golfing attire and singing about breakfast cereal. The clip, filmed when he was in his mid-twenties, offers a striking contrast to the intense, no-nonsense personality viewers have recently seen on the BBC reality show.

Wearing a white polo shirt and a baseball cap, Kemp looks almost unrecognisable from the bald-headed actor familiar to television audiences today. A glimpse of his dark hair can be seen beneath the cap, providing a reminder of his appearance before he developed male-pattern baldness.

In the advert, Kemp sings about the benefits of a round of golf before turning his attention to the cereal.

“A round of golf will wake you up they say. But it’s Kellogg’s Fruit ’N Fibre wins the day,” he sings.

He continues by listing ingredients including apples, hazelnuts and bananas, before suggesting the cereal could also help when it comes to preparing dinner.

The commercial was filmed around a year before Kemp made his EastEnders debut in February 1990, marking a time when his career was still taking shape.

Ross Kemp’s Transformation Into EastEnders Hardman Grant Mitchell

Kemp went on to become one of British television’s most recognisable actors through his portrayal of Grant Mitchell in EastEnders.

The character became central to some of the soap’s biggest storylines, with Kemp’s performance helping establish Grant as a formidable presence in Albert Square.

He left the show in 1999, when Grant departed for a new life overseas, but returned for several brief appearances in subsequent years. His most recent return came in 2026.

The contrast between Kemp’s early advertising work and his later screen persona has continued to fascinate viewers. His youthful appearance has also attracted attention during previous television appearances, including a segment on Good Morning Britain last year that showed photographs of him shortly after leaving drama school.

Those images featured Kemp with a full head of short, neatly styled hair, offering another glimpse of the actor before his familiar bald look became part of his public image.

Why Ross Kemp Has Ruled Out a Hair Transplant

Despite occasionally looking back at photographs from his younger years, Kemp has been candid about accepting his appearance.

The actor previously discussed developing male-pattern baldness at a young age, a common condition that affects a substantial proportion of men.

Speaking to The Times, Kemp admitted that he would have preferred to keep his hair but made clear that he had no intention of undergoing a transplant or cosmetic surgery to change his appearance.

“Do I wish I had a head of hair? Course, but I’d never have hair implants, or plastic surgery to fix this bit under my chin. This is me. If you don’t like it, you know what you can do,” he said.

He also joked about his looks, explaining that he tried to make himself presentable despite not always being impressed by what he saw in the mirror.

His comments reflect a straightforward attitude towards ageing and appearance, with the actor seemingly comfortable with the look audiences have come to associate with him.

Celebrity Traitors Fans Think Ross Kemp Could Uncover the Latest Mission

Away from the resurfaced advert, Kemp has also become a talking point among Celebrity Traitors viewers, with fans speculating that he could see through the Traitors’ latest attempt to eliminate a Faithful contestant.

In Friday’s episode, the Traitors were given a particularly unusual challenge: they had to carry out a murder in plain sight by making one of the Faithfuls yawn. The goal was to bore a chosen contestant into yawning, effectively sealing their fate without an obvious physical confrontation.

During the tense scenes, Maya Jama and James Acaster attempted to put their plan into action. While King Kenny was distracted by Sharon Rooney, the pair drew Kemp and Jerry Hall into a room and began engaging them in deliberately dull conversation.

They repeatedly yawned themselves, hoping their behaviour would prompt the others to follow suit.

However, viewers questioned whether the strategy was too obvious to succeed. Some took to X to criticise the pair’s actions, describing them as suspicious and predicting that Kemp might recognise what was happening.

The actor has developed a reputation on the show for being intensely suspicious, making him a potentially difficult target for the Traitors to deceive.

Whether Kemp will connect the dots remains to be seen, but fans are already watching his reactions closely as the game continues.

Source: Compiled from various sources