Chris Kamara speaks out on his Boxing Day TV return ahead of reuniting with Jeff Stelling – and provides a health update after speech apraxia diagnosis

Chris Kamara has revealed how his TV return came about after announcing that he will be back on the nation’s screens on Boxing Day.

Kamara, 66, confirmed on Monday that he will be covering Nottingham’s Forest’s Premier League clash with Tottenham for Amazon Prime.

He will be feeding updates back to his old friend Jeff Stelling in the studio, two years after he walked away from Soccer Saturday after being diagnosed with speech apraxia.

Apraxia is a little-understood neurological condition that affects the body’s ability to perform natural motor functions, and Kamara may have thought his broadcasting career was over when he left the job he loved on Sky in April 2022.

But he is set to make a triumphant return, and he has opened up on how he simply couldn’t turn down the offer presented to him by Amazon Prime.

‘It was surreal to get that phone call from Andrew ‘Buzz’ Hornet, who was one of the first football producers at Sky Sports,’ said Kamara, who has affectionately become known as ‘Kammy’ during his career.

Kamara will be covering Nottingham Forest’s clash with Tottenham at the City Ground

‘I was on my way to a Paul Heaton gig in Manchester – I’ve known Paul since I played for Sheffield United, he’s a big Blades fan and me invited over to one of his concerts – when Buzz called.

‘I thought, “What does he want?” And Buzz says, “How do you fancy being reunited with Jeff on Boxing Day?” Er, yes – in what capacity? “Reporting on live football, like you normally do, at Forest v Spurs.”

‘How could I refuse? It might be one last hurrah for me in terms of covering football on the box, but to work with Jeff again will bring a bit of extra magic to Christmas for me.’

Kamara was recommended revolutionary treatment in Mexico for his speech apraxia by Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway.

He admitted that he is still not back to his best, but revealed his health has improved considerably and he is starting to feel more like his old self.

‘Of course I’m not 100 per cent, but I’m 70 per cent better than when I first disclosed my condition in public and I feel like I’ve got the old Kammy back,’ Kamara added.

Kammy became a fans’ favourite with his quirky one-liners as well as his occasional slip-ups.

He spent 30 years with Sky as a presenter and broadcaster from 1992 to 2022 after hanging up his boots following a playing career that saw him play for various clubs including Sheffield United and Brentford.

Kamara famously missed a red card when covering a match between Portsmouth and Blackburn for Soccer Saturday in 2010, leaving Stelling and the rest of the studio pundits in fits of laughter as he tried to explain that he thought it had just been a substitution.

Kamara conceded that his speech condition has led to him trying to plan ahead a little more, but has promised fans that he will try to be as spontaneous as ever when he covers the Boxing Day match at the City Ground.

‘The one thing about my job at Sky that I guarded more than anything was being spontaneous,’ he explained.

‘I’ve lost that ability in a way but I’m going to try and wheel it out on Boxing Day. If I started to rehearse lines in my head, or tried to prepare some premeditated lines, then I would be guaranteed to mess it up.’