Chris Kamara opens up on slurring speech and fears of becoming a 'shell of a man'
He opened up on his health condition
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Chris Kamara has spoken about being diagnosed with apraxia in his autobiography.
Apraxia is a neurological condition that can affect speech and make it difficult to complete tasks.
The former football player and presenter discovered he had the condition after being diagnosed with an underactive thyroid.
He explained the effects started to get to him and he grew concerned about what it would mean for him and his loved ones.
Chris played football for many years
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"I worried about where I was going to end up. Would my physical and neurological deterioration just keep going and going? And I worried more about the effect it would have on those around me.
“I’m a man who has always wanted to help, to provide, to love and nurture those around me. And now I could only see myself as a burden.
"A shell of the man I used to be that they would be left to look after," he said in his book 'Kammy', serialised by the Daily Mirror.
He shared the devastating fact that he had suicidal thoughts during this time.
Chris continued: "Seeing myself like that was like staring into an abyss.
"I could never reconcile that image in my head. It was unthinkable.
“And it’s at that point I’d think, ‘they’d be better off without me’.”
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Chris shared heartbreaking details about how he felt
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If affected by the above, help and further information on this can be found at samaritans.org or by contacting Samaritans on 116 123.
Apraxia can be brought on by any brain damage and it can make it incredibly difficult to make various motor movements.
Symptoms of apraxia of speech include difficulty forming sentences, difficulty saying long words, distorting of vowel sounds and speech inconsistencies.
Chris took a step back from many of his presenting jobs following his diagnosis.
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