Watch: Ross Kemp shares his experience diving at the Mary Rose shipwreck for new TV series

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The 58-year-old, known for his role as Grant Mitchell in the long running soap opera Eastenders, said he was ‘honoured’ to become part of the ship’s story and help recover new artefacts from where it sank.

The dive was part the upcoming second series of Ross Kemp: Deep Sea Treasure Hunter which will see Kemp explore shipwrecks around the world, including in the red sea and the English channel to explore Britain’s imperial past.

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Dr Alex Hildred, Head of Research and Curator of Ordnance and Human Remains at The Mary Rose Trust and Ross Kemp walk past the Mary Rose during the launch of the immersive 4D cinema attraction Dive the Mary Rose 4D at the Mary Rose Museum.

Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire — Dr Alex Hildred, Head of Research and Curator of Ordnance and Human Remains at The Mary Rose Trust and Ross Kemp walk past the Mary Rose during the launch of the immersive 4D cinema attraction Dive the Mary Rose 4D at the Mary Rose Museum. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

Ross Kemp said: ‘It was an absolute honour to be able to dive on it, it's an honour to have found what we believe are Tudor artefacts, and they’ve now been accepted into the collection. It was an incredible dive for me and in the series we mix up diving in the UK, diving in the red sea and along the beaches of Normandy.

‘I worked with a marine archaeologist called Mallory Hass and she had connections with Dr. Alex Hildred, who runs the diving side of the trust, and she’s been working on the Mary Rose since she was very young. For many people, it’s a life’s work. It’s one of the few places you can actually get a detailed insight into Tudor England - everything from peppercorns to the ship’s dog. It was an incredible feat to raise the Mary Rose – about 60 million people tuned in to watch it.

The actor, who is also known for his Extreme World documentary series, said that he mostly saw ‘mainly a lot of the Solent mud’ but that his team found new artefacts during their expedition.

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From left, Dr Alex Hildred, Ross Kemp and Dominic Jones, CEO of The Mary Rose Trust watch Dive the Mary Rose 4D during it's launch at the Mary Rose Museum.

Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire — From left, Dr Alex Hildred, Ross Kemp and Dominic Jones, CEO of The Mary Rose Trust watch Dive the Mary Rose 4D during it's launch at the Mary Rose Museum. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

‘You can see a lot more in the red sea but it doesn’t take away from the excitement that you have - whether you’re in the red sea or whether you’re in the Solent - when you actually find something. In many respects, we found more in British waters that we did in foreign waters. The Solent has been used by sailors for thousands of years.’

The new series of Ross Kemp: Deep Sea Treasure Hunter will air on Sky History at 9pm, Monday, April 10.