In the latest episode of On the Marie Curie Couch, bereavement expert Jason Davidson meets Chris Kamara.
During Chris's footballing career he played for Portsmouth, Swindon and Brentford, as well as a host of other clubs, appearing in more than 600 league matches. Now a hugely popular and successful pundit, Chris and his wife Anne have been married for 38 years and have two sons, Ben and Jack. In this episode of On the Marie Curie Couch, Chris sits down for an emotional chat with Jason. He talks openly about the death of his mother, Irene, who was cared for by Marie Curie Nurses in her final days.
Ignorance and abuse
"We were the first black family on the estate, one of the first black families in Middlesbrough, so you can imagine back in those days the ignorance and the abuse that we got. But it makes you a stronger person, you get through it."
Mum was everything
"My mum was everything to me, as most mums are. She was the one that defended me when I was growing up, looked after me, was always there. So I had this closeness with my mum that was everything. I wanted her to be happy."
"After my mum died, it was awful. I think it was the first time, that morning, that my kids heard me cry out loud."
Listen now
Tap the link near the top of this page to listen to Chris’s chat with Jason. Alternatively, listen to or download it via Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd prefer, you can read a full transcript of the episode.
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Maybe you've spotted Chris and his fellow football pundits and managers wearing our yellow daffodil pin? Find out more about what it means.
Content note: discussion of death and grief with reference to themes/topics that might be triggering or upsetting.
