It's been a tough journey for Chris Kamara, who was overcome by fear three years ago when he received a diagnosis that made him believe his days of live football reporting were over. Struck down with speech apraxia – a condition hindering his ability to form clear speech and deeply affecting his role as a prominent Sky Sports pundit – Kammy faced his biggest challenge yet. Yet today, the much-adored sports figure expresses gratitude for the therapy that’s enabled him to come to terms with his newfound reality, meaning he no longer requires ongoing treatment. Read more Sugababes' Keisha 'beaten by ex who controlled diet, money and showers', court hears Reflecting on a time clouded by despair, the 67 year old TV veteran recalls it took a while before accepting the persistent voice changes, confessing a phase where he thought his presence might be a burden to his loved ones. Kammy, a familiar face returned to television screens last year on Boxing Day, openly shares his initial denial: "I kept thinking, for over 18 months, that it would go away. "I just kept thinking one day I'll wake up and I'll be back to the person I was," only to embrace his situation eventually, reports the Mirror . The path to self-acceptance wasn't smooth, but as Kammy puts it: “My therapist told me that the day you accept your condition is the day you will start getting better, and that is what happened. "I can be my own worst critic but my speech has improved and I'm fine with how I sound." Yet, he holds deep regret for not having confided in his loved ones during his troubled times. He reflects on the missed opportunity for familial support. "They spotted the signs (that I was struggling). I should have talked to my wife Anne, for which I have apologised to her. I didn't tell my wife what was going on," he shared. "My family would have supported me rather than somebody I didn't know. Anne, and my sons would have helped me in the first place." The couple's life together spans over four decades, marking 43 years of marriage, and they share two children, Ben, 40, and Jack, 38, along with four grandchildren—Solomon and Connie, both seven, five year old Billie, and three year old Morgan. He understands why some may opt to speak to a stranger, as he shares his own perspective: "I grew up at a time when you didn't talk about your feelings. I lived in a football world where any sort of weakness was frowned upon... men feel they have to be strong all the time." The emphasis on communication becomes apparent as he argues: "But you need to talk about things going on inside your head...get it off your chest, it's not like you (come out of a therapy session) feeling cured immediately. But there is a sense of relief - in just talking." As the sportsman confronted challenges with his speech, terrifying thoughts of dementia or Alzheimer's loomed over him. "It was a really tough period" he admits. Diving into his inner struggles, he reveals: "I started feeling really low. "I just did not want be a burden to my family but my illness came to fruition just before the Covid lockdown. I had these stupid thoughts." When the lockdown was imposed, his son and family, who reside in Leeds, moved into Kammy and his wife Anne's farm in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. "My other son lives next door, so we were all together. I spent a lot of time with my grandson down with the animals, looking at him enjoying himself in the mud and with the sheep. It made me appreciate what I have, " he shares. The dark thoughts thankfully faded by the time he received his medical diagnosis but he admits: "I was totally embarrassed by my apraxia. "But once I got over it, which I have now, I realise your voice doesn't define who you are. I'm sorry to anyone who has a speech condition that I felt that way for so long." For Mental Health Awareness Week, starting Monday May 12, Kammy is collaborating with alcohol education charity Drinkaware and Andy's Man Club suicide prevention charity to examine the connection between mid-life men's (aged 45-64) drinking habits and mental health. Despite never feeling the urge to use alcohol as an emotional support and escape from his struggles, working on the campaign has enlightened him about the impact of drinking on mental health and the vicious cycle people can get caught in. "A few years ago I discovered I was drinking too much and when I did get my apraxia I did wonder whether my apraxia was brought on by alcohol abuse but it's a brain injury. "Alcohol can feel like a way out, a coping mechanism. But men need to talk more about their feelings. I grew up as a dinosaur in my thinking - you pull yourself together and get on with it, but I was wrong. We all need support." Chris Kamara revealed his struggles and changes in attitude towards mental health, highlighting the importance of speaking out: "Alcohol can feel like a way out, a coping mechanism. "But men need to talk more about their feelings. I grew up as a dinosaur in my thinking - you pull yourself together and get on with it, but I was wrong. We all need support." Kammy was born on Christmas Day 1957 in Middlesbrough; with a Sierra Leonean father who was a former naval mariner and an English mother, he was encouraged to join the Navy in his teens, steering him into his first footballing steps with the Navy's team. His forays on the football pitch led him to play professionally. His journey took him to teams like Leeds and Middlesbrough where Kammy faced down racism as one of the pioneering black players of the time. Despite the unwarranted and appalling racist jeers from the terraces, Chris Kamara's adoration for football remained untarnished. He made history in the mid-90s when he became Bradford City's first black manager after playing for them earlier in his career. After years of being a familiar presence on the field, by 2000, Kammy swapped the muddy boots for the pundit's microphone, quickly becoming a hit with fans as part of an entertaining pairing with Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling. The affectionate camaraderie between Kammy and Jeff Stelling lit up Sky Sports screens, but it wasn't without its memorable mishaps. One such instance occurred during a match report in 2010 from the touchline of Portsmouth v Blackburn, leading to Kamara's famous on-air blunder. Kammy became known for his lighthearted gaffes, none more so than during the incident at the Portsmouth v Blackburn match in 2010. When Jeff Stelling asked for confirmation on a red card given, Kamara famously responded with confusion: "I don't know Jeff! Has there been? I must've missed that." Jeff and the Sky studio pundits couldn't contain their laughter, and neither could viewers at home, as Kammy's blunder made him an overnight sensation. Reflecting on the incident, he shared: "I always think back to that day. I had done lots of TV before then, but that took me to a different sphere in terms of the shows that I was doing after I did that." He admitted: "I know most people would have tried to blag it but if I had pretended I knew about the red card - I might not have had the career I had! "That one gaffe brought me notoriety across the world. I was reprimanded by the producer for that but the next day he called me and told me he had all these sports channels from China, America, all over the world, all wanting to speak to me about missing the red card!". Since then, he's become a familiar face on television, co-hosting ITV's Ninja Warrior and making guest appearances on various programmes, even playing himself on the hit Apple TV+ series, Ted Lasso. In 2023, he was honoured with an MBE for his contributions to football, charity, and anti-racism efforts. This year, the ex-Bradford star has been gathering supporters to sing in a choir for the UK City of Culture festivities. The choir's journey is being chronicled on the BBC Sounds show Bantam of the Opera. Teaming up with opera singer Lesley Garret, he quipped that he's leaving the " Soprano bits to her. " though he's no stranger to belting out a tune himself, having released two Christmas albums. "Singing helps with the fluency of getting the flow back in my voice, so it's beneficial as fun as enjoyable," he commented. On the advice of Good Morning Britain's Kate Garraway, Kammy sought revolutionary treatments in Mexico to help regain some fluency in his speech: "I went three times, and there has been an improvement every time, but my family doesn't want me to go again." Interestingly, since his diagnosis, Kammy has become more sought after on TV, but he insists it's not his apraxia that's holding him back: "Would you believe it, I'm getting offers all the time! ""I'd love to do I'm A Celeb, but I wouldn't be able to do the tasks. I also have dyspraxia, which affects physical coordination. "I can walk but my balance is very difficult. If anything knocked me, I'd fall. "I'd hate not being able to do the trials, so I would have to say no to that. "He concludes: "I have had an amazing career - it really has been unbelievable!"he chuckles. "But what I'm most grateful for is my family."