Chris Kamara has opened up about the cruel trolling he received that led to him having to reveal his speech apraxia diagnosis.
The former footballer, 67, opened up during an appearance on Loose Women earlier today (Wednesday, December 10).
Chris Kamara on speech apraxia diagnosis
Appearing on Loose Women today, Chris opened up about his health diagnosis.
The star, who played for the likes of Brentford, Leeds United, and Sheffield United, went public with his speech apraxia diagnosis in 2022. According to the NHS, speech apraxia is a disorder where “coordinated, voluntary speech movements are difficult to achieve, even when speech muscles are functioning normally”. It can lead to inconsistent or difficult-to-understand speech.
Speaking to Christine Lampard, Coleen Nolan, Myleene Klass, and Jane Moore, Chris spoke about his upcoming tour with Ben Shephard.
The tour will see them discuss their careers and share stories. Chris explained that the idea of a tour was sparked after the duo did a show at the Edinburgh Fringe last year. However, it’s taken him until now to feel “confident” enough to do it, due to his diagnosis.
“The improvement I’ve had throughout the months has been great, so yeah,” he said.
Chris then went on to say how Ben had been such a “massive” support following his diagnosis.
Chris Kamara on Loose Women
“You realise who your friends are when you’re ill,” he said.
Myleene then asked Chris about his diagnosis, noting that he was a pundit and talked “for a living”.
“My voice, I thought, was me,” Chris said. “An identity. I realise now that it isn’t what I’m about. Because of the support I’d had.
“But that time, when it came around, you feel sorry for yourself. You’re thinking about yourself, solely. Not anybody else. Not the family. Not your friends. You just get immersed in your own pity,” he continued.
“Which is terrible, you know? And now I realise what mental health is all about. I didn’t know then, but now I do.”
He went on to say that his perspective on mental health has changed from his day as a player, when he’d think to those suffering to “get on with it”.
Chris on cruel trolling
Chris then went on to explain that he began to “go through it” during lockdown, but kept it from his family.
He then said that he went to a hypnotherapist, who urged him to tell his loved ones about his speech problem. However, for four months he refused.
“And then I had a game, Rotherham and Shrewsbury, for Sky, and I was looking at the camera like that [a confused stare], and I couldn’t remember any of the players’ names, and I couldn’t talk about the cross that has just come in and headed into the back of the net. So I looked at my phone, and everybody’s saying, ‘Has he had a stroke?’, ‘What’s up with him?’, ‘Is he drunk?’, you know, something like that,” he said.
“So I thought…I rang my therapist on the way home, and he said ‘Now. Do it now’. Send out a tweet and do it now’. And I was so worried. I left Rotherham and got home 45 minutes later, looked at my phone, and the outpouring of love was incredible,” he then continued.
“It still upsets me now, you know?”
Chris then added that it’s important to ‘accept the person you are now and not crave the person you were before. And then you can get on.”
Read more: Chris Kamara reveals ’scary’ double health ordeal following speech apraxia battle
Loose Women airs on weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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