Mr Unbelievable

Product Information

Born in Middlesbrough of Sierra Leonean, English and Irish descent, Kamara served in the navy before joining Portsmouth for the first of two spells.

Now Kammy reveals all in this funny and moving autobiography. What happens when you double cross José Mourinho? What it’s like to play with Vinnie Jones? Who comes off better: Kammy or a rampaging gorilla? How did Kammy end up releasing his own top-ten record? What's the real story behind his infamous line, 'I don't know, Jeff!'? He did quit Sky. When Stelling announced Kammy’s departure on Soccer Saturday, the anchor was almost in tears. Sky didn’t try to convince Kamara to stay, but many other TV shows were only too happy to hire him. He made a powerful ITV documentary, Lost for Words, about his condition last year. Earlier this year, he appeared on The Masked Singer. Now he says he’s got almost as many offers of work as he had before he developed the condition. A while ago one company told him they were going to have to speed up his voice for a commercial. “I said, ‘Yeah, do it’ but I was thinking, ‘Is this what it’s come to?’ Now I don’t worry. There’s no hiding it. They know when they employ me it’s not the old Kammy they’re getting; they get the new one now.” He joined the Royal Navy at the age of sixteen, before signing up with Portsmouth FC in 1974. He went on to represent several other clubs, including Swindon Town, Brentford, Leeds United, Middlesborough, Stoke City, Luton Town, Sheffield Utd and Bradford City, before he retired in the mid-1990s. Following his retirement from playing, Kamara became a manager, first at Bradford City and then a brief spell at Stoke City. Most important of all, his sense of joy in the world has returned. Would he consider live match reporting again? I expect him to pooh-pooh the idea, but now he seems to think anything is possible. “Well, if my progress keeps going, then yes!” And his face breaks out into a classic old-school Kammy smile.In the match, when Stelling came to him for an update, he could barely speak. “My heart palpitated. I’d never known anything like it. It felt as if it was coming out of my chest. And I couldn’t get my tongue around the words.” He sounds traumatised just revisiting it. “It was so difficult. Jeff came to me and a goal was scored and I kept the commentary as short as possible.” Nobody on the team mentioned what had happened, so he thought he’d got away with it. “I thought maybe it’s not as bad as I think it is. No one said, ‘Are you OK?’ No one said, ‘What’s up with you?’ No one said, ‘Have you been drinking?’ Nothing. So I started to think maybe something’s playing with my head, so you just move on. And that’s what I did.” Kamara adored his broadcasting career, and he assumed that was done for at the very least. “Having played or managed for 24 years, to go into TV was happy days. All your birthdays have come at once. And all it required was for me to go on and be myself. Just go and have a laugh. So once that was taken away, it felt there was no me any more. It’s stupid, but you think, ‘Where have I gone? Where is he? I don’t like the person I’ve become.’ All those things go through your head.” In the second part of the book, he writes openly and honestly about his playing days, racism his dealings and relationships with players, managers, chairmen and others within the game. All this is honest and open.

Good Morning Britain host Ben Shephard, a friend of Kammy, who has worked with him down the years, received praise for the support he has offered the former footballer. He told his close friend Ben Shephard, with whom he co-presented Ninja Warrior UK. Eventually he agreed to talk about his apraxia in an interview with Shephard on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “I came out and did it with him, and it was the best day of my life from then on.” He was astonished by people’s understanding, kindness and warmth. Finally, it made sense to his fans. But in my new world of unknowns there was one absolute certainty. I was finished as a football presenter.Following his football career on both the pitch and touchline, he became best known for his work as a pundit and presenter on Sky Sports.

Day 28 was soon here. In the afternoon I had a call from Dr Trujillo. He was excited to tell me my brain had reacted to the treatment to the extent that I now had 2,000-plus more neural pathways (the bundles of fibres which connect one area of the nervous system to another) than when I’d arrived.He became terrified of having to talk – offscreen as well as on. And all the time he was telling people nothing was wrong. The pretence must have been exhausting. “Well, it was playing with my mind. You go crazy. The first thing when you wake up is: can I speak today? If the delivery man comes to the door, can I talk to him? The old me used to have a laugh and a joke with him. Now I’m a bumbling old man who can’t get his words out. My self-esteem was at its lowest ever point and that’s when you think of crazy stuff in your head.” As for Albert, he had no interest in football and only saw his son play once at school. Alan Ingledew, a football coach and mentor, took him on alternate weeks to watch Middlesbrough and Leeds at home. Albert insisted his son went into the navy, as he had done, after leaving school. He was still only 16 when he was spotted by Portsmouth’s youth team manager playing for the navy team. The National Front element of the Portsmouth crowd booed him however well he played. When he joined Swindon a couple of years later, he received death threats from Portsmouth fans and was given police escorts to the County Ground. He never let it get to him.

From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: The much-loved football personality was on Thursday's show to promote his new book My Unbelievable Life and he shared with viewers his health battle in recent years. We saw @RichardRGJS comment: “Beyond heartbreaking. Big respect and stay strong #ChrisKamara #GMB.” But, and there is a 'but' for me, and it is probably more to do with my view of the world than anything Chris Kamara says or has done, but there is an unpleasant undertone to the book and that is one of the media. He reports mainly (in the first part of the book) on his work for Sky TV and with it comes the smell of that obnoxious corporation. He states proudly when his confidence was low at the beginning of his media career, he was advised just to report things as he saw them. Shame that wasn't true for all the others who have been ousted by Sky for doing just that! The list is long: Andy Gray, Richard Keys and Matt le Tissier to mention just three. All reported what they saw and what was in fact true but what they reported didn't fit Sky's woke agenda and so out they went. When I’d hear that Jeff was coming over to me for the first time, I’d feel properly scared, like something really awful was about to happen – a creeping presence, slowly grabbing hold of my mind until I was barely able to function. When the cue finally came, all too often I could hear how slowly I was talking. How words weren’t coming out clearly.

Chris Kamara was awarded an MBE for services to football, anti-racism and charity in King Charles III’s New Year’s Honours list in March this year (Image: Newsquest) I guess this book would only ever appeal to those who know of Chris Kamara either through his football playing days, or as a manager, or as a TV presenter (of football!).