CHRIS KAMARA has joined a choir as he continues his journey to recover his speech.
The popular TV star and former midfielder stepped away from his broadcasting roles in 2022 when he was diagnosed with apraxia.
Apraxia is a rare neurological disorder which sees sufferers unable to get their words out – even though they know what they want to say.
Kamara’s difficult journey has included intense speech therapy.
But he has now issued a positive update on his health – with the revelation about his singing exploits.
Kamara, 67, told BBC Breakfast he signed up for a choir of Bradford City fans for an upcoming TV series Bantam of the Opera.
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The ex-Bantams player and manager joked his new venture may not have helped his ability to hit the right notes or sing in tune.
But it has certainly helped his confidence and fluency with his words.
Kamara said: “Well, the good news is, I could never sing before so it’s not made any difference!
“But the truth of the matter is, you get more fluency in your voice when you sing so it’s a form of rehab when you’re trying to get your voice back.
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“Singing helps me.”
The Bantam of the Opera choir are being supported by legendary composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and will be involved in Bradford’s 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations.
What is apraxia of speech?
CHRIS KAMARA has been diagnosed with apraxia of speech – but what is it?
Apraxia of speech is a condition which makes talking difficult, with sufferers knowing what they’d like to say, but having trouble communicating their words.
The NHS says that the condition can be extremely frustrating for people.
They explained: “Frequently the person with apraxia will have difficulties with conversational speech.
“However they may be good at ‘automatic’ speech tasks such as counting, swearing, repeating rhymes, greetings and farewell.”
It’s usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain, such as a stroke.
The condition does not affect a person’s understanding and the symptoms of the condition can vary occurring to the severity of the disorder.
But this is not Kamara’s first venture into TV singing.
Because the ex-Swindon and Brentford man appeared in the 2023 season of The Masked Singer, putting on a Scottish accent, and also on Get Britain Singing.
Kamara’s popularity soared during his 24 years on Soccer Saturday, where he had a superb relationship with host Jeff Stelling.
The pair were reunited in emotional scenes on Boxing Day when Kammy returned to TV to help Amazon Prime’s coverage of Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 win over Tottenham.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
