Ross Kemp was left unable to speak after inhaling spice from a prisoner’s vape while filming his new documentary Welcome to HMP Belmarsh.
The former EastEnders star inhaled a small amount of the drug, which was left in a vape by a comatose inmate at the prison in south-east London.
“I am rarely lost for words but as I turn to camera, I have lost the ability to speak,’ Kemp wrote in The Sun ahead of the release of the ITV show.
“My brain has gone blank, my hands are clammy and my mouth is dry.”
Kemp explained that the version of the drug he inhaled is made up of a combination of aluminium cleaner and insect killer. He said it is called Man Down and it “does exactly what it says on the tin”.
The new documentary follows Kemp as he learns about life inside the Category A prison. During filming, he also witnessed the prison go into lockdown and deal with an external protest.
Kemp spent six months filming at Belmarsh, which has been home to some of the country’s most notorious criminals, including Ian Huntley, Lee Rigby’s killers, Ronnie Biggs and black cab rapist John Worboys.
The new show follows Kemp’s documentary series Extreme World, which has seen him travel investigate homelessness, illicit trade, drug addiction, violence, poverty and sex trafficking.
Welcome to HMP Belmarsh with Ross Kemp airs on Thursday 9 January at 9pm on ITV.
