Chris Kamara admits 'I'm really weak' in heartbreaking health update
Chris Kamara admits 'I'm really weak' in heartbreaking health update
The beloved football pundit was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition in 2022
Kamara has issued a new update on his health battle
(Image: James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images )
Chris Kamara has admitted he is "very weak" and now struggles to walk down stairs in a heartbreaking health update.
The beloved TV presenter and football pundit was diagnosed with speech apraxia - a rare neurological condition which affects sufferers' ability to speak - in 2022, having been also diagnosed with an underactive thyroid a year earlier. The condition can make saying the right sounds and words very difficult, while it also affects your balance and strength, with Kamara also living with dyspraxia.
His diagnosis saw him step back from TV work while he received treatment, and he left Sky Sports later that year after 24 years with the broadcaster, tearfully admitting that his condition had left him left him feeling "like a fraud" as it caused him to slur his words.
After flying to Mexico and undergoing intense speech therapy in a bid to aid his condition, Kamara has seen noticeable improvements and even made a return to punditry last year as part of Amazon Prime Video's festive Premier League coverage.
But, in a fresh health update, the 67-year-old has admitted his struggles with his balance have impacted what he can do. While he has recently partnered with Burton's Fish 'N' Chips, he has confessed to being a lot more "choosy" over the work he takes on now.
"I'm choosy these days," he told the Daily Star. "That's what's happened with the work because even though I've got the acceptance of my condition, I still don't want to put myself in a situation where it comes back to bite me.
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"So I'm not like the old Chris Kamara who would say yes to the opening of an envelope. Whereas now I'm a bit more choosy and will I put myself in a situation where it won't work out alongside my apraxia, I have dyspraxia, which affects your balance."
Giving an insight into his condition, Kamara added: "So I'm weak, really weak, and you know, going down these stairs isn't great.
"Going up these stairs is fine, but going down these stairs, the brain tells you you're going to fall even though you probably won't, so you have to hold on to the banister and getting on planes and things like that.
"Don't be in the queue behind me," he added. "Because I'll be five minutes getting down those plane steps!"
It comes after Kamara heartbreakingly admitted that he is "no longer the person I used to be", having suffered regular falls following his life-changing diagnosis.
"In so many ways, the diagnosis has changed my life," he said. "I am no longer the person I used to be, so I would be lying if I said it hasn't changed me. The brain tells me that I am going to fall, and unfortunately I often do."
Last year, the Sky Sports legend admitted his health struggles had previously made him feel like a "burden" to his family as he confessed to having "stupid thoughts" about "taking himself out of the game".
"I felt sorry for myself when the condition came along and I didn't know what to do or how to cope with it,' he said. "You have stupid thoughts. You think you've got Alzheimer's or dementia.
"I didn't want to be a burden to my family, so you think about taking yourself out of the game. Thankfully, all of those stupid thoughts have gone now and I'm working through it, on the mend.
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"How could I ever of thought of not being in this world with my grandkids? I love them and I appreciate life," he added.
"I didn't understand mental health, I'll be honest with you. If you were a type of person who said, 'I don't feel like training today', I'd say what's the matter with you. Now, I realise that I was totally wrong.
"The majority of people who are genuinely honest and have depression, anxiety and have mental health problems need help as best as they possibly can. The start is talking to someone about it. I did that and it's helped me immensely."
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