I could have saved my speech as I battled devastating illness but I made one huge mistake, says Sky Sports’ Chris Kamara
CHRIS KAMARA knew there was something wrong with his health, yet he kept his fears from his family for nearly a year.
The energetic and lovable TV footie pundit — affectionately known as Kammy — revealed in March that he had been privately battling rare neurological disorder apraxia of speech.
It makes it difficult to pronounce words correctly.
And, in an exclusive chat with The Sun, he today tells of his guilt that his voice might have been saved had he gone to see the doctor sooner.
Kammy, 64, said: “The doctor said if I’d gone in those first two or three months and had my thyroid checked then I might have been OK.
“But because I left it, everything happening in the body — the balance, the muscle weakening — came from the fact I didn’t tell anybody.
“I feel I’ve let my wife and family down by being a dinosaur and not getting checked out.”
And now his emotional and inspirational journey is laid bare in an ITV documentary, Chris Kamara: Lost for Words.
The moving film follows his life with AOS, and covers his initial denials through to his diagnosis and to the disciplined way he manages his therapy, including using an oxygen chamber.
He hopes it will help to highlight the devastating condition.
Kammy said: “Little is known about it which makes the diagnosis so much harder to navigate.
“Hopefully by sharing my story it will raise awareness and also help people who may also be living with this condition by showing them that there are ways to manage it and to still live a fulfilling life.”
Kammy, who was born in Middlesbrough, started his football career at Portsmouth.
He went on to play for nine clubs over 20 years including Leeds United, and managed Bradford City and Stoke.
The former midfielder became aware something was wrong at the start of lockdown in 2020 but ignored it, even hiding his fears from his wife of 40 years, Anne, and their two sons, Ben, 35, and Jack, 34.
He said: “I stupidly kept it to myself, or at least tried to. At home I’d speak in sound bites and instead of starting conversations, I’d just be a small part of them and get away with one or two word answers.”
But Anne started to grow concerned for her husband after watching his appearance on The One Show in December 2020 and encouraged Kammy to see his GP.
He underwent a brain scan to check for dementia after suffering what he described as “brain fog” and feared it might be related to heading the ball during his time as a player.
The scan was clear but a blood test revealed an underactive thyroid and he was given medication.
However, even after his thyroid had stabilised, the speech issues remained and later a specialist confirmed the apraxia.
As well as coming to terms with his life-changing diagnosis, Kammy was also having to cope with fans speculating on social media that he sounded drunk.
He said: “I thought I needed to walk away from TV before I ruined my legacy, which I was starting to do. My voice was my work and I was so recognisable through it. Suddenly, I hadn’t got it any more and that was so hard to take.
“After 25 years of broadcasting I took my voice for granted and so when it sounds like somebody else or it’s slurring or not there at all, it’s not just embarrassing, it’s mind-blowing.”
Kammy joined Sky Sports as a pundit in 1998.
His legendary laugh-a-minute live match updates, along with his on-screen rapport with co-presenter Jeff Stelling, made him an hit with viewers.
And his catchphrase, “Unbelievable, Jeff!” is said back to him “Twenty or 30 times a day.”
But it was close friend and Ninja Warrior UK co-presenter Ben Shephard who encouraged Kammy to share his diagnosis publicly on Good Morning Britain.
Kammy said: “Accepting my condition was very hard, but my therapist said the day I admitted it would be the first day of my recovery. He was dead right.
“It was the best thing I could have done.”
Kammy was overwhelmed by the outpouring of positive support. He said: “I’m humble and grounded and so part of me doesn’t really believe that’s what people think of me. I’ll never get my head round it.”
He adds: “The producers said I might not be talking as quickly or coherently as I was but they’d work with that and their support is 100 per cent why I’m still doing TV.”
But in April he announced he was leaving his role on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday at the end of the season due to his speech disorder.
During our interview, Kammy is as talkative as ever but it takes a lot longer for him to get his words out.
He says he made the difficult decision to scale back his live telly commitments after developing crippling anxiety.
After 25 years of broadcasting I took my voice for granted and so when it sounds like somebody else or it’s slurring or not there, it’s not just embarrassing, it’s mind-blowing.
Chris Kamara
He said: “I’d never been nervous about TV.
“I’d enjoyed every minute of not taking myself too seriously. But now doing a 60-second report meant my heart would be jumping out my chest and I’d be thinking, ‘How can I do this?’. My anxiety waiting for that live broadcast was through the roof.”
Kammy returned for a sixth series of Ninja Warrior UK this summer with Ben, 47, whose production company Triple Brew made Kammy’s documentary.
Ben tells The Sun he isn’t surprised by the outpouring of love for Kammy who he says attracts “Justin Bieber-levels of attention” whenever he’s out with him.
Ben said: “Everywhere we go, people want to meet him. He doesn’t go seeking that sort of validation, but it’s been wonderful recently because it fills him with hope, joy and positivity.
“Kammy firing on one cylinder is better than the average person firing on 12.
“He might not be singing and dancing like he used to, but he still has that magic.”
During the documentary, Kammy seeks advice from experts and meets others with AOS.
He is adamant he is not a victim, that there are people far worse off — and they are the reason he is sharing his personal story.
Kammy said: “I want to raise awareness of speech conditions, especially in children where you see they understand everything and want to speak back but can’t.
“That’s heart-breaking and the help they get is minimal because people don’t understand this condition.”
His own prognosis is unclear but he’s determined to throw everything he can at it.
He is currently undergoing speech therapy, hypnotherapy and two sessions a week in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber which is thought to improve cerebral blood flow.
He is also trying a treatment that involves microcurrents being pumped through his body.
He said: “My neurologist, Dr Lily, is not certain but I’m hopeful I can get back to normal. I can walk down the stairs without using the bannister now, so my balance is coming back.”
A lot of the documentary is filmed on the farm where Kammy lives in Wakefield, West Yorks, with Anne and a hoard of rescue animals.
Eldest son Ben, his wife and their young son and daughter moved in with them during the first lockdown and Kammy’s youngest son Jack lives next door with his partner and their young daughter.
The proud granddad often posts pictures of his three grandchildren to his social media platforms.
He said of his family: “They’ve been amazing. If I packed everything in tomorrow, I’d still have a wonderful family life.”
Reflecting on his life, he adds: “I used to be one of those pains in the backside who’d go into a room and take over. I was the life and soul and I’d try to light up the room and make people laugh.
“I’m not that bloke any more. I just hope that one day I can get back to being even half the person I was.
“And if I can help other people along the way, I’ll do everything I can.”
- Chris Kamara: Lost For Words will be on ITV1 on December 13 at 9.15pm.
What is verbal apraxia?
- Also known as apraxia of speech, verbal apraxia occurs when the messages from the brain to the mouth are disrupted, leading to difficulty controlling the muscles used for talking.
- It occurs when the area of the brain controlling coordinated muscle movement is damaged. This can be caused by a stroke, brain injury, dementia or progressive neurological disorders.
- In children, it is present from birth. It can also be acquired in adulthood.
- Some studies have shown that AOS can be linked to an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
- This is where the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones and can develop over several years before symptoms such as tiredness, weight gain and muscle aches appear.
- The recognised treatment is speech language therapy but there is no guarantee of a cure.