Graeme Souness swimming the English Channel for charity after leaving the role for Sky Sports
Graeme Souness fights back tears and struggles to speak on live TV as he reveals he is swimming the English Channel for a ‘butterfly disease’ charity, weeks after quitting his job as a pundit on Sky Sports at 70 years old.
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An emotional Graeme Souness has revealed that he is swimming in the English Channel to help people living with the rare skin disorder Epidermolysis bullosa.
The former Liverpool and Scotland captain, who has just left his role as a pundit on Sky Sports after 15 years, fought back tears as he described the pain and misery the disease brings to children.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the 70-year-old Mail Sport Souness columnist said: “It’s the most horrendous disease. If it inflicts you, you must wake up every morning and say ‘why me?’
It is a desperate situation. And then the parents have to deal with it. And that’s why we’re doing this.
‘I’m involved in this because of how evil this disease is. If people haven’t experienced or seen it, they have no idea how hopeless this is.
Former Liverpool and Scotland footballer Graeme Souness will swim across the English Channel to raise money for charities supporting epidermolysis bullosa sufferers.
Souness will take on the 21-mile Channel challenge next month alongside Andy Grist, the father of a 14-year-old girl, Isla, who has the condition.
Souness will swim 21 miles across the Channel on June 18 to raise money for the charity DEBRA, which supports people living with the disease.
Souness was filmed conversing with Isla Grist, a 14-year-old girl who required plastic surgery on her hands due to the degenerative disease.
Isla described the agony of even having the bandages on her hands changed, with Souness almost speechless.
Isla’s father Andy and four others will brave the waters between Dover and Calais next month and a A fundraising page has been created on the DEBRA website.
“Isla is the bravest human being I’ve ever met,” added Souness. ‘When I’m in her company, I cry a lot.
“She just inspires me, she’s incredibly brave and courageous.”
More to follow.
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