Former Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara says his speech condition has changed his personality: “I was the loudest person in the world, and now I’ve become one of the quietest.”
The former footballer, 64, was heartbroken when he stepped down from his role after 24 years in May, when his condition made his speech deteriorate.
In a new documentary, he tells of his daily “anguish” as he struggles to determine if he will be able to communicate with his family, or perform his job.
The rare neurological condition, Apraxia of Speech/Dyspraxia, slows down the neurological pathways between the brain and the mouth.
It has also affected his coordination and his muscles, and he reveals: “I can’t carry shopping.”
“Every day, I wake up and the first thing I think is: ‘Am I going to be able to talk today?’” he says.
“Sometimes I think, it’s fine today, no problem. Then I go downstairs and talk to Anne and the message from the brain to the mouth won’t come out right. So it would be another day of anguish, thinking what should I do? Should I go to work today, or should I not?”
Through tears, his wife of 40 years Anne admits: “He’s not happy with how he sounds - it’s a complete difference to what he was.” She adds that it has been particularly difficult for him to adjust, as he used to live life at “100 miles per hour”.
Kammy, who played for Portsmouth, Leeds and Stoke after joining the Royal Navy aged 16, originally hid his concerns about his health from his family, including sons Ben, 35, and Jack, 34, and his grandchildren.
The former midfielder who went on to manage one of his former clubs Bradford City, was diagnosed in October 2021 after going to see his doctor because he feared he was developing dementia.
By March, viewers of Sky Sports had started to notice changes in his voice, with some asking if he was drunk or potentially suffering a stroke, prompting him to reveal his diagnosis. The past two years have been “fraught”, he says.
“It is a neurological problem,” he explains in the ITV documentary Chris Kamara: Lost For Words. “The message that goes from the brain to the mouth slows down, the words get confused and I can’t actually say a lot of the words.”
In his quest for a cure he takes vitamin, does coordination exercises and undergoes hyperbaric oxygen therapy - to force his body to absorb more oxygen.
He also wears a device on his leg which he emits microcurrents which he hopes will reach his brain and repair it.
Chris jokes: “I tell people it’s my ASBO and I’ve been tagged for unruly behaviour.” He credits close pals including Ben Shepherd, who he still works on Ninja Warrior alongside, and his long term Sky Sports co-host Jeff Stelling for offering their incredible support.
Jeff says he found it “tough” to lose him from Sky Sports - where he was famous for describing football moments as “unbelievable, Jeff”.
And Ben jibes: “There’s an irony because I always used to say to you, if only you would think before you spoke.
“Now you’re struggling because you’re thinking too much.”
Kammy says he is learning to live his new life: “I’m 75% accepting the new me.
“I’m in a lot better place now than I was. I didn’t accept what was going on in my body, but it’s a long process.
He says: “This documentary is a very personal one for me. I am really keen to raise awareness about Apraxia of Speech/Dyspraxia.
“Little is known about it which makes the diagnosis so much harder to navigate. Hopefully by sharing my story it will help people who may also be living with this condition.”
- Chris Kamara: Lost For Words airs 14th December at 9pm on ITV1.
