Chris Kamara will open up to viewers on his battle with apraxia with a new documentary that will be broadcast on ITV.
On the Radio Times summary for the programme, it states: "Presenter and former footballer Chris Kamara embarks on a personal journey to gain further insight into his being diagnosed with apraxia of speech."
In the programme he'll seek advice from experts about his diagnosis, meet others with the condition and give people an insight into his ongoing speech therapy.
The former footballer and Sky Sports broadcaster revealed back in March that he had developed apraxia of speech, alongside an existing thyroid issue, which he said initially made him feel like "a fraud" as a broadcaster.
Lost for words 🗣that’s a phrase you never thought would be associated with me 😂🤣 https://t.co/df4leovMaF
— Chris Kamara (@chris_kammy) December 14, 2022
Kamara received a lot of support when discussing his condition in Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast earlier this year.
Appearing on This Morning earlier in the week, Kamara said fellow TV presenter Ben Shepherd approached him about making a documentary about the condition but Kamara insisted he didn't "want to be a victim."
READ MORE: Chris Kamara says he would speak in soundbites to hide apraxia diagnosis
The documentary highlights the prevalence of speech issues among children and the struggles when it comes to seeking support.
He said: “They’re let down by the system, they don’t get speech and language therapy, they don’t get any help.
“Where’s the help from the system? There isn’t any.”
When is Chris Kamara: Lost for Words on TV?
The programme will air from 9pm to 10pm on ITV on Wednesday, December 14.
What is Apraxia? Signs and symptoms
According to the NHS East Sussex Healthcare site, apraxia of speech is a "speech disorder in which a person has trouble pronouncing words correctly and consistently".
It is caused by damage to the parts of the brain that are involved in speaking and involves the loss or impairment of existing speech abilities.
Symptoms may vary between people depending on how severe the condition is, but include:
- Struggling to pronounce words correctly
- Being able to say a word correctly one minute, but not the next
- Having more difficulties with the beginning of words
- Having more problems with longer words than shorter words
- Being aware of their mistakes but often unable to correct them
- Speaking more slowly
- Being better at ‘automatic’ speech tasks such as counting and singing
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