Chris Kamara says he's 'ok-ish' after Apraxia of Speech diagnosis

‘Some days can be a little slow’: Chris Kamara reveals he’s been diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech but assures he’s doing ‘ok-ish’ – as Soccer Saturday viewers notice his slurred presenting

  • Chris revealed he suffers from Apraxia of Speech (AOS) a speech disorder in which someone has trouble speaking
  • A person with AOS knows what they’d like to say, but has difficulty getting their lips, jaw, or tongue to move in the proper way to say it
  • He has been battling Underactive Thyroid Disease for a year and recently underwent a brain scan to check for signs of dementia  

Chris Kamara has revealed he has been diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech, after Soccer Saturday viewers noticed his slurred presenting.

The former footballer, 64, who has been battling Underactive Thyroid Disease for a year, had been commentating for Sky Sports during Shrewsbury Town’s League One trip to Rotherham United when fans realised something was wrong.

He had been tweeted by a wave of supporters showing their concern.

‘Some days can be a little slow’: Chris Kamara has revealed he’s been diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech, after Soccer Saturday viewers noticed his slurred presenting (pictured in 2018)

Following the broadcast, Chris took to Twitter to assure that he was ‘ok ish’, adding that his speech can be ‘a little slow’ on some days over others due to the condition.

He wrote: ‘Just wanted to let a few of you know who tweeted me today that I am ok ish. Alongside my Thyroid problem I have developed Apraxia of Speech & have been working to get my speech back to normal.

‘Some days it can be a little slow and some days it’s normal. Hopefully I can beat this!’

Fans had written to him asking: ‘Are you ok Chris, you don’t sound too well?’ as well as, ‘Are you ok @chris_kammy? You didn’t look or sound right on sky just now.’ 

Worried: The former footballer, 64, who has been battling Underactive Thyroid Disease for a year, had been commentating for Sky Sports during Shrewsbury Town’s League One trip to Rotherham United when fans realised something was wrong

Another penned: ‘@chris_kammy kammy are you ok mate? Noticing you’re not at your best today. And I don’t mean that in an offensive way. If you’re struggling mate please get some help or talk to someone.’

Last year, the TV personality revealed the results of the brain scan he had to check for signs of dementia.

He previously described having ‘brain fog’ and being worried it might be related to heading the ball during his long sporting career.

Candid: Following the broadcast, he took to Twitter to assure that he was ‘ok ish’, adding that his speech can be ‘a little slow’ on some days over others due to the condition

What is Apraxia of Speech? 

Apraxia of Speech (AOS) is a speech disorder in which someone has trouble speaking.

A person with AOS knows what they’d like to say, but has difficulty getting their lips, jaw, or tongue to move in the proper way to say it.

In order to speak, your brain needs to send a message to your mouth.

AOS affects the pathways of the brain that are involved in planning and coordinating the movements that are necessary for speech.

Because of this, the messages from the brain don’t get through to the mouth correctly.

Source: healthline.com 

During an appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch, Chris said the scan showed no signs of dementia, saying: ‘They didn’t find anything…’

He went on: ‘Watching back [a clip from an earlier episode of Packed Lunch], it’s slow and I know that’s not me of old…

‘I went to Pontefract to the radiology department… The results were no loss of brain mass and very few lesions, which means no clinical relevance. So yes!’

He told host Steph McGovern he had further tests to investigate why he has been experiencing ‘brain fog’.

He said: ‘There are loads of things I can track and I’m thinking ‘what’s going on?’…

‘After the blood test I had, I’ve got an underactive thyroid. 

‘I’m suffering with a swollen tongue which causes you to slur your words, slows down, not your thoughts because the thoughts are there, but transferring those thoughts to the mouth to get you to talk coherently.

‘All that sort of stuff. Feeling cold, even warm days you’re shivering and cold, weakness, muscle fatigue, tiredness…’

Chris recalled an experience he had during an appearance on The One Show which caused him to worry initially.

‘I was on with Alex Jones and Michael Ball, I did the menu for the show live and not a problem…

Support: He had been tweeted by a wave of supporters  showing their concern

‘Michael Ball talked to me about the Christmas album and said ‘name some of the songs’ and my mind had gone completely blank and I couldn’t think of anything.

‘That was the first time my wife said to me, ‘There’s something not quite right, you need to get it checked out’.’

He added: ‘The blood test which showed the underactive thyroid has explained everything along the way.’

Oh dear: He previously described having ‘brain fog’ and being worried it might be related to heading the ball during his long sporting career (pictured in 2021)

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