{"id":68248,"date":"2023-11-15T22:32:40","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T22:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/talkcelnews.com\/?p=68248"},"modified":"2023-11-15T22:32:40","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T22:32:40","slug":"gmb-fans-in-tears-as-chris-kamara-breaks-down-and-says-hes-ashamed-of-speech-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talkcelnews.com\/tv-movies\/gmb-fans-in-tears-as-chris-kamara-breaks-down-and-says-hes-ashamed-of-speech-condition\/","title":{"rendered":"GMB fans in tears as Chris Kamara breaks down and says hes ashamed of speech condition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good Morning Britain viewers have been left in tears after football legend Chris Kamara became emotional while discussing his battle with speech apraxia.<\/p>\n

The 65 year old ex player and Soccer Saturday pundit, known affectionately as Kammy, appeared on the ITV show on Thursday – when he told hosts Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard that he had been left feeling \u201cashamed\u201d after the condition left him unable to speak. Chris opened up on how, last year, he had developed apraxia, a neurological condition that leads to sufferers losing the ability to carry out skilled movement and gestures – including speech – despite having the physical ability and desire to perform them.<\/p>\n

The TV star, who appeared on GMB to discuss his new autobiography, Kammy: My Unbelievable Life, and his subsequent documentary, said of his apraxia: \u201cI didn\u2019t know what it was. I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid\u2026 I thought that was it and it was affecting my voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But Kammy went to a thyroid expert, who told him the condition does not normally affect the voice, so he needed another opinion. He went to see a brain specialist, who diagnosed him with apraxia of speech after just two minutes.<\/p>\n

The former Brentford and Luton Town player became teary-eyed as he said: \u201cThe [words] come out very slow so I thought that defined me. So, my apologies to everybody who\u2019s got a speech condition because it doesn\u2019t define who you are.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get upset talking about it because I was in denial, I was ashamed that I couldn\u2019t speak.\u201d <\/p>\n

In an emotional moment, Susanna took Chris\u2019 hand and told him: \u201cYou\u2019ve got nothing to be ashamed of honestly, you\u2019ve done so much to inspire other people.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI know Ben, you\u2019ve had experiences haven\u2019t you, where you\u2019ve spoken to other people who are no longer ashamed of what they\u2019re experiencing because of the way [Chris has] spoken out about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris replied: \u201cThat\u2019s been the good thing about all this. Ben was behind me coming out and doing the documentary and talking about it. And once I\u2019d spoken about it, you get it off your chest, and realise that everyone\u2019s behind you.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamily and friends are all with you all the way no matter what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben, who is close friends with Kammy – working alongside him on TV shows such as Goals on Sunday and NInja Warrior – said that his pal needed to understand that the condition did not change the way his friends and family felt about him.<\/p>\n

Lightening the mood, Ben added: \u201cI have spent years trying to get Kammy to think about what he says before he says it because he usually gets himself into trouble and all of a sudden, you had too much time to think about what you were saying! <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the shame piece is the thing that strikes me so hard, especially when I see you getting upset as one of my best mates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Closing the interview, Kammy said: \u201cCan I say a big thank you, Ben, because none of this would have happened without your help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holding back tears, Ben said: \u201cI want a hug!.. Love you mate.\u201d The pair then hugged in an emotional final moment. <\/p>\n

Many GMB fans were moved to tears by the interview. One took to X\/Twitter to say: \u201cSeeing Chris Kamara shedding a tear has got me crying like a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another added: \u201cNot a dry eye here. Chris Kamara such a lovely man and that hug with Ben. A special friendship.\u201d A third wrote: "Didn't expect to wake up and get teary eyed listening to Chris Kamara. What a lovely man."<\/p>\n<\/p>\n