Chris Kamara admitted to feeling like “a fraud” when appearing on television with his speech apraxia condition.
Fans are no doubt going to be backing the former Sky Sports News legend as he takes the chair in ITV's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Celebrity special with host Jeremy Clarkson tonight.
But life hasn't been plain sailing for Kammy since his speech condition diagnosis.
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Speaking to Dragons' Den’s Steven Bartlett, the football pundit and TV personality often known as 'Kammy' revealed how tough life has been since being diagnosed with the disorder.
Appearing watery-eyed and choked-up, he said: “Every day I wake up, the first thing I think is ‘am I gonna be able to talk today?’. The condition makes planned motions, such as opening the mouth when prompted, difficult to perform.
Kammy continued: “I feel a fraud now in terms of broadcasting. I don't bring to the table what I used to. I feel like I’m doing these programmes and they’re not getting the best of me but they’re tolerating me. You take your old self for granted.”
Despite his setbacks, Kamara continued his presenting duties on ITV's Ninja Warrior UK and the BBC's Proper Football podcast with Ben Shephard, although he left his Soccer Saturday role on Sky.
What is speech apraxia?
The Speech and Language Therapy Department of the NHS describes apraxia as the “difficulty in carrying out planned movements”. While automatic movements like a yawn are able to be carried out, deliberate actions become challenging.
The NHS adds: “Apraxia of speech is thought to be caused by a problem in the brain area responsible for planning these movements. The person usually knows what they want to say.
“When they try to say it, it may come out wrong or not come out at all. They may be able to say a word correctly one minute, but the next time it comes out all wrong.”
Conversational speech inevitably becomes very difficult, although ‘automatic’ speech activities such as counting, swearing and greetings come much easier. The disorder’s severity can vary, making symptoms differ from one sufferer to another.
What has Chris Kamara said about his speech apraxia condition?
Kamara was known for his ability to speak at 100mph, particularly during his reports on Sky’s Soccer Saturday. However, being diagnosed with speech apraxia led to him feeling “like a fraud” due to his speech sometimes appearing slower and more slurred.
When asked about how it feels to live with apraxia of speech, an emotional Kamara said: “It feels like someone is taking over my voice box. Now when I hear myself or see myself on TV it’s someone else, it’s strange.”
He continued: “Words come out different than what you’re trying to say and that’s even weirder, so that’s been hard to accept. I was gonna quit everything, literally every single TV at the end of last season.”
Kamara said the channels wanted him to continue, with the broadcaster adding “would you believe I’m now doubly busy than what I was before”. As well as seeing people who could help him gain some control over the apraxia, the 64-year-old admitted to getting help with his anxiety, saying: “the anxiety was terrible, knowing I wasn’t the old me”.
Chris said how he first began to not feel well during the first lockdown in 2020, ultimately brushing the symptoms aside, admitting “it’s the worst thing you can possibly do”. After the best part of 20 months living with slurred speech, Kammy eventually saw someone and was diagnosed with underactive thyroid.
Despite taking the relevant tablets to boost his thyroxine levels, the symptoms continued, leading to an apraxia of speech diagnosis. Although he was initially reluctant to speak out about his condition, he was eventually convinced by TV friend Ben Shepherd to tell people about it, leading to a wave of support for the popular figure.
After getting a similar reaction to his podcast appearance, Kammy expressed his gratitude on Twitter, saying: “It was a pleasure to speak to @SteveBartlettSC Diary of a CEO podcast. It was only recorded last Friday so yesterday really took me by surprise.
“I can’t respond to everyone, but many thanks to all for the support and messages, which haven’t gone unnoticed - I’m very grateful.”
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