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Chris Kamara has good days and bad. That is the way with apraxia of speech — the condition which, earlier this year, he revealed and finally confronted — you just never know when there will be a disconnect between voice and brain.
'A bad day is struggling to get the words out,' he says. 'You speak and, sometimes, another word comes out.'
He takes it with the humour intended when I suggest he made his brilliant broadcast career from such slip-ups.
'I did!' he booms back, and today is clearly a good day. 'But now, I know it's not right. It was fun back then. I'm not sure how many adults have beaten apraxia, but I certainly intend to be one of them.'
Sky Sports legend Chris Kamara has opened up about his struggles with accepting his Apraxia
His resolve was not always so strong. For more than a year, the Soccer Saturday legend did not want to tackle the deterioration that was becoming increasingly obvious to all around him.
In February, at the Football Writers' Association dinner in Kamara's native North East, he won the Personality of the Year award. The former midfielder gave a speech — funny and warm, as ever — but, to those present, it sounded like he had had a couple of drinks. No harm in that, of course.
The 64-year-old admits there were countless other occasions when friends, family and fans made a similar observation. But it was only in March, on ITV's Good Morning Britain with friend Ben Shepherd, that the father of two opened up about his diagnosis.
'I was in total denial,' Kamara tells Sportsmail from the London studio where he has just recorded an episode of his new BBC show, Kammy & Ben's Proper Football Podcast, with Shepherd.
He revealed being in 'total denial' until he was persuaded to face the condition
'I did not want to accept it, but I'm no fool. Twitter, family, colleagues, when they're all saying, 'Are you all right? What's the matter with you?' Eventually, you think, 'I'm going to have to face this'.
'I didn't want to. I thought I could hide it. Now, people tell me they knew there was something wrong, and I thought I was masking it. It was my therapist who said to me, the day I accept my condition is the day I will start healing. It took me a good 20 months to do that.'
Spend time with Kamara and his popularity is ubiquitous. Even in the canteen here, two men holler his trademark, 'Unbelievable, Jeff' just before our interview. But he wants to make a point about the affection he felt in the weeks after his condition was made public.
'It has been crazy, unbelievable, lovely, and I thank the public for that and all of my friends and colleagues. It shows that people think fondly of me — so I must have done something right.
'But you think, 'I've not died, I'm still here!' It just goes to show, the people you love, please give them a tribute when they're alive. Don't wait until they pop their clogs. Go and give them a hug and tell them now.'
The 64-year-old was taken aback by the support he received from the public
Given our chat is appearing in print, it is only right to convey how Kamara sounds. In short, great. His speech is slightly slower, but conversation rattles along and there is no compromise on the humour and happiness which have endeared him to millions.
'Today is a good day, no bother,' he declares. 'But, every time I think I've beaten it, it comes back to bite me. Patience is a virtue.
'Every day, I'm sitting in an oxygen chamber with hyperbaric treatment. I have microcurrents going through my body for seven hours. Everyone wants a quick fix, but it has to be done slowly.'
So, for a guy who is battling a speech condition, why embark on a new podcast series, with the emphasis on the spoken word? Kamara laughs.
'I've
