Chris Kamara Reveals How Ben Helped Him Through Apraxia | This Morning

[00:00:00]Now, he's a broadcasting legend, football icon, and a true inspiration.

[00:00:04]And since his diagnosis in March 2022, Chris Kamara has been incredibly open about his battle with speech apraxia.

[00:00:13]>> Yeah, and Kammy has turned his diagnosis into a powerful campaign for awareness.

[00:00:16]And he's joined his now talk okay a very special honor he received just 24 hours ago.

[00:00:23]>> Look at him.

[00:00:24]>> He was made an honorary doctor of health by Bradford University. Kammy, congratulations.

[00:00:30]>> sir.

[00:00:31]Bradford.

[00:00:32]My grandson Morgan said I look like Mr. Tumble.

[00:00:37]>> [laughter] >> Isn't that what happened when you got the apraxia as well?

[00:00:42]>> [laughter] >> It's an amazing thing. When you called me and you said, mate, that that Bradford University want me to make it make me a doctor of health. I said, they do realize most of his falling apart, don't they?

[00:00:53]>> Well, you know what happens now. If you are on any plane with me and they need a doctor, I'm going to put my hand up.

[00:01:03]>> [laughter] >> What can I help you with?

[00:01:05]>> Well, we wish you the best of luck. We wish you the best of luck. That'll make me feel better.

[00:01:09]>> [laughter] >> Kammy's going to single-handedly save people.

[00:01:12]>> It's it is.

[00:01:14]>> Absolutely, yeah. Fantastic.

[00:01:17]University of Bradford put on a special day for me yesterday and it was amazing.

[00:01:25]Really was.

[00:01:26]>> And you got to speak to some of the students as well. We've got a little clip of what you said.

[00:01:30]Uh I'll play you a little bit of this cuz it was really really special.

[00:01:33]>> I am absolutely delighted to receive this award. In fact, I nearly said it's unbelievable.

[00:01:46]But I shouldn't.

[00:01:48]When I failed my 11-plus exam at St. Pius's in Middlesbrough when I was 11, well, it would be then, wouldn't it?

[00:02:00]>> [snorts] >> I honestly thought my life as an academic was over.

[00:02:08]Fast forward 57 years, and here I am.

[00:02:15]Everything comes to he who waits.

[00:02:20]>> Your career as an academic back on track, Garvey.

[00:02:24]Do you have any problems you need solving?

[00:02:28]>> [laughter] >> How are you at the moment?

[00:02:31]>> I'm great. I'm great, yeah.

[00:02:33]>> feeling good? Are you >> I'm feeling great, absolutely. My voice has quickened up, and I'm so much better, yeah.

[00:02:42]>> It's brilliant. It's brilliant. And have you been having hypnotherapy sessions?

[00:02:46]>> Uh no, but I had them at the start of the illness.

[00:02:51]>> Ah.

[00:02:51]>> Me and Anne went to Vegas a long time ago to see a hypnotist.

[00:02:58]And I thought when I had my injury, I would go and see a hypnotherapist, Daniel McDermott, in Leeds, and he would put me under, and my voice would come back straight away. I now realize that it's not the case.

[00:03:17]But he did put me under.

[00:03:19]>> And occasionally you'd start squawking like a chicken as well.

[00:03:21]>> YEAH, [laughter] EXACTLY.

[00:03:25]>> BUT AMONGST THE THE MANY THINGS that you tried when you first sort of realized something was going on, and you couldn't quite explain it, you tried lots of different therapies to try and find a way >> Everything, Ben, yeah. You name it, I tried it. And it wasn't you kept on to me, my carer there.

[00:03:47]Listen to Kate Garraway. Her husband, Derek, has been to Mexico. You've got to go there. And I said, "Let me explore every avenue in England first, and then I'll try." I wish I went a year earlier.

[00:04:04]>> But interestingly though, I think sort of that was quite an experimental treatment. You tried lots of things, but I think one of the things you often say to me now, Cammie, is it's when you finally accepted the condition that you started getting better mentally, physically.

[00:04:19]>> Yeah, absolutely.

[00:04:20]You were a great help. But Daniel kept saying to me, "You have to tell the public what's going on. Otherwise, they're going to keep guessing you're drinking, you had a stroke, or you're not well."

[00:04:38]Put them out of their misery and admit that you've got a speech problem, and then the day you start uh and mention it is the day you start healing. And it was so true. Yeah.

[00:04:54]>> He's really helped you as well.

[00:04:56]>> Oh, he's been amazing.

[00:04:57]>> How's he helped you?

[00:04:58]>> Oh, he's been there for me the whole time. My carer. He'll laugh at me uh so much, but having someone behind you keeps saying, "You're still the same person as you were before." is amazing.

[00:05:18]>> He speaks so highly of you. Honestly, he speaks so highly of you. It's a lovely friendship to watch.

[00:05:24]>> He's a lovely man.

[00:05:26]>> Yeah.

[00:05:27]>> There's a I've learned so much from Cammie. I was lucky enough to start working with you back in 2010 at Sky when we worked together on Sky Sports.

[00:05:33]And I've just learned so much about life and being a dad and and and just dealing with people and working in the public eye and all those sorts of things. And the other thing that's been really special is we've just finished our tour together. And watching Cammie in front of a live audience and watching the audience's reaction. There is nothing like it. I mean, they everybody adores him and to be able to share that with you and you still to be firing on all cylinders with everybody is just magical.

[00:05:59]>> I love my doing theater shows and when I quit TV 5 years ago, only thanks to this man.

[00:06:09]>> It just goes to show, doesn't it? You stay on it. You just keep, you know, keep getting out there.

[00:06:13]>> And talking of getting out there, you two well getting out there. You You put your running shoes on, aren't you?

[00:06:18]>> are indeed. Yeah.

[00:06:19]>> What What What are you doing?

[00:06:21]Where are you doing it? When is it happening? And how can I be there? Cuz I've got to I need to be able to see you.

[00:06:27]>> the Great North Run together for prostate cancer and I had this idea >> [laughter] >> on the holiday. I was jogging with my grandson Solomon and I thought I can do this, you know. And since that time, I've been injured.

[00:06:49]>> [laughter] >> I can't even walk down these stairs. I can walk up these stairs unaided, but I need the banister to go downstairs, but it's a massive good cause and raise awareness for prostate cancer.

[00:07:06]>> Yeah.

[00:07:06]>> Yeah. We're doing it together. Me, Ben and my youngest son Jack.

[00:07:13]>> and how far have you got to run?

[00:07:14]>> It's 13 and a bit miles. It's a half marathon, isn't it? The good news is most of it's uphill, so it'll be like going upstairs and you can use me and Jack as the banister.

[00:07:22]>> [laughter] >> Uh it's going to take about 3 hours. So, I've said to Ben and Jack, you can go off with a >> [laughter] >> but Yeah.

[00:07:34]>> It's going to take more than that cuz he'll stop for anyone who wants a picture.

[00:07:37]>> He'll have a chat, won't he? That's his thing. He loves a bit of >> It's going to be It's going to be amazing. Can you believe though, Cammie, it's 30 years you've been working in broadcasting this year?

[00:07:45]>> Wow.

[00:07:46]>> 1996 you started?

[00:07:48]>> Uh I Yeah, 1996 at Sky.

[00:07:54]>> There you go.

[00:07:54]>> And when I left Sky in '98 when I left football management in '98 full-time.

[00:08:03]Yeah.

[00:08:03]>> It's a What a What a What an extraordinary experience it's been for you.

[00:08:06]>> Oh, what a career, you know.

[00:08:09]If the fairy godmother had said to me how your life's going to pan out, I wouldn't have believed her.

[00:08:18]>> Is there anything else you could still got left to do? Is there anything that you haven't ticked off your bucket list yet?

[00:08:23]>> Uh the summit with them.

[00:08:26]>> [laughter] >> You're going to climb the mountain?

[00:08:29]>> Yeah, I'll do it.

[00:08:30]>> We'd quite like to watch England win a major tournament, wouldn't we?

[00:08:34]>> Together, that would be amazing.

[00:08:36]>> up now.

[00:08:37]>> Don't say that.

[00:08:38]>> Four years is a long time, yeah.

[00:08:42]>> You wait. Give it a couple of years when the Euros are back on and you'll be believing again.

[00:08:46]>> how everybody who was once watching that game last night knew where we went wrong except Thomas Tuchel and his coaching staff.

[00:09:00]>> It's funny, isn't it?

[00:09:01]We'll be unpicking it for hours.

[00:09:02]>> Messi didn't have a kick until we sat back. And he's spent his life on opening defense.

[00:09:12]>> Opening up the the parked bus, as it were, Cammie. Bizarre.

[00:09:16]Uh two more years, we'll be back cheering them on in the Euros.

[00:09:20]>> Hope so, but thank you. Um thank you both.

[00:09:24]>> Thank you to Bradford University as well. I think that's a really special thing that they've done recognizing >> University of Bradford. I got told off.

[00:09:31]>> Oh, really? Okay, the University of Bradford.

[00:09:33]>> [laughter] >> He'll tell you off.

[00:09:34]He'll tell you off.

[00:09:35]>> Uh it Yeah, it's just a really special thing and to see you in that outfit looking like Mr. Tumble, I think is >> [laughter] >> There you go.

[00:09:43]>> Oh, brilliant. Thank you.

[00:09:44]>> Thank you. So awesome, yeah.

[00:09:46]>> Cheers.