Chris Kamara knew he had to give up pundit career after devastating moment
Sky Sports favourite Chris Kamara was at a match between Huddersfield and Bristol City when he came to terms with the fact that he needed to give up his career in football pundity.
After a playing career which lasted more than 20 years, he spent even longer working as a pundit - predominantly on Soccer Saturday. In 2022, though, he opened up on the diagnosis of apraxia of speech which had left fans of the show concerned for his health.
In an extract from his book, entitled 'Kammy', the 65-year-old shed some more light on the struggles which prompted him to step away from his Sky Sports role. He admitted a job which previously came naturally to him had become "an awful and terrifying ordeal" which came to a head at Huddersfield.
"I covered Huddersfield versus Bristol City, but as I reached the top of the gantry stairs, which I’d walked down literally hundreds of times, I was gripped by a feeling I was going to fall down the 50 or so metal steps before me," Kamara wrote. "My balance seemed to have gone completely and I negotiated them very gingerly. As I reached the last one, I saw a steward looking at me. ‘Watching you come down the steps reminded me of my old man,’ he said. He wasn’t to know, but it was the last thing I wanted to hear.
"By the time I reached the conclusion that I needed to act, I’d spent a year keeping my fears to myself. Fear and lack of knowledge eat away at you. Is there something seriously wrong with me? Is this dementia? Alzheimer’s? There’d been several high-profile cases of footballers of my era now paying the price for repeatedly heading a football. Could that be what had happened to me?"
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It was at this point Kamara sought out a diagnosis from a medical professional. After learning he had apraxia, he was urged to go public with the diagnosis and eventually did just that - prompting a large outpouring of support from viewers who had enjoyed watching him on screen for so many years.
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Chris Kamara spent more than 20 years in broadcasting (Getty Images)"I jabbed my finger at the screen," he continued. "Done. Gone. When I got home, I told Anne what I’d done and finally picked up my phone to have a look. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was being overwhelmed with messages of support, not only on Twitter but from countless friends and acquaintances from down the years. The relief was unbelievable. But in my new world of unknowns there was one absolute certainty. I was finished as a football presenter."
Kamara left Soccer Saturday at the end of the 2021-22 season. Since going public with his diagnosis, meanwhile, he has received warm support from inside and outside the broadcasting world.
"Kammy you still bring life, energy, fun and understanding to all of your reports on Soccer Saturday. We all love you pal, keep going!" Soccer Saturday's then-anchor Jeff Stelling wrote in 2022.
Others, including Sky Sports regulars David Jones, Kelly Cates and Jamie Carragher, also showed their support. "You’re a hero to me and so many others Kammy sending love," Jones' message read.
KAMMY: My Unbelievable Life by Chris Kamara is published by Macmillan on November 9, £22
If you feel like you need to talk to someone, please don't suffer in silence. Help and support is available 24/7 - Call Samaritans free on 116 123, or email [email protected]
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