Chris Kamara admits his one 'big regret' is turning down I'm A Celeb before ... trends now
Chris Kamara admits he is given a painful reminder of his biggest TV regret each time ITV announces the line-up for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
The long-running show will return with a 23rd series on November 19, but Kamara, 65, will be forced to watch from home as he continues his battle with Apraxia, a motor disorder caused by damage to the brain that significantly affects speech.
Discussing his close friendship with hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly in new memoir Kammy: My Unbelievable Life, the former footballer, pundit and TV presenter revealed he had been approached to appear on the show numerous times before he was diagnosed with the condition.
He wrote: 'I struggle to watch myself in my pre-apraxia days – not that I was ever a big fan of watching myself on TV in the first place – so I haven’t had a trawl through YouTube, but I have many happy memories to carry me through, such as the six years I appeared on Saturday Night Takeaway with the brilliant Ant and Dec.
'I’d have seen even more of them had I said yes to the regular requests to go on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, but I always turned the jungle down because of my commitment to Soccer Saturday and Goals on Sunday.'
Opening up: Chris Kamara admits he is given a painful reminder of his biggest TV regret each time ITV announces the line-up for I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!
Here they come: The long-running show will return with a 23rd series on November 19, but Kamara will be forced to watch from home as he continues his battle with Apraxia
He added: 'My intention was to do it one day, once my Sky contract came to an end, but I’m in no shape to do so now, sadly. Neither my body nor mind could cope.
'I couldn’t face hearing the words, "Chris Kamara is exempt from this task due to health issues." No chance. It’s a big regret.'
The beloved presenter was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in 2021 and then apraxia of speech, which led to him stepping away from the majority of his broadcasting roles.
Apraxia is a little-understood neurological condition that affects the body's ability to perform natural motor functions, and apraxia of speech is a
