Kamara has opened up on his battle with Apraxia
Chris Kamara has opened up on his battle with apraxia and admitted that his diagnosis has left him feeling ‘like a fraud’ when on TV.
Kamara suffers from a speech apraxia – a condition that means he can sometimes struggle to talk – after being diagnosed with an underactive thyroid last year.
The much-loved Sky Sports presenter spoke about his illness on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast and has said that his life now feels “strange” after stepping back from his broadcasting duties.
He said: “Strange in terms of, I feel a fraud now in terms of broadcasting; I don’t bring to the table what I used to. So that’s hard, my life away from the screen couldn’t be any better. Grandkids, family, it’s perfect.
“I feel I’m doing these programmes and they’re not getting the best of me, but they’re tolerating me, that’s how it feels.”
https://twitter.com/SteveBartlettSC/status/1569219989927862272
Tributes have poured in for Kamara ever since he announced he would be stepping back from Sky Sports Soccer Saturday in April and the iconic presenter said that he was left humbled by the messages from his colleagues.
He said: “That tribute that Sky gave me, that’s reserved for someone who passes away isn’t it? So I’ve had the tribute while I’m still alive that people don’t get when they go. You’ll always look back and think, when you read the obituaries and comments and think, ‘why didn’t people say that?’
“So I think maybe I should have bowed out then, taken the accolades and said, ‘thank you’. Am I tarnishing what I’ve got and what I had?”
Kamara has recently returned to the TV screens and is hosting the popular show The Games while also working alongside Ben Shepherd and Rochelle Humes as a presenter for Ninja Warrior UK.
Related links:
- Chris Kamara to leave Soccer Saturday and Sky Sports
- How Chris Kamara missed that red card on Soccer Saturday
- Watch Soccer Saturday’s Chris Kamara commentate a Call of Duty game
