Good Morning Britain presenter Ed Balls has opened up about his personal battle with a stammer while discussing the STAMMA charity campaign.
Presenter Ed Balls revealed his personal struggle during the most recent Good Morning Britain.
The ITV host was discussing with BBC Traitors participant Jessie Roux her participation in the campaign, Don’t Hang Up. Hang On.
Providing further details about the initiative, which is run by the charity STAMMA, Susanna Reid emphasised that call handlers frequently disconnect when there’s an extended silence on the line.
Jessie explained, “It is hard because I’ve had it where I have been hung up on, and ‘H’ is hard. Like,’ Hello’ on its own is a nightmare.”
Ed responded: “I can’t do H’s! From the autocue, every now and again, and there is one, it’s a nightmare!”
The BBC personality expressed her frustration when attempting to articulate her words over the phone and the other person disconnects, reports the Mirror.
She continued: “It is hard, it’d help if people would just wait, that is all any of us ask, just wait. We’ll get there eventually.”
Throughout the years, Ed has been candid about his stammer, admitting he wasn’t aware he had one until he was deep into his political career.
It wasn’t until 2009 that the broadcaster publicly acknowledged his struggle with a stammer, before becoming a patron for the British Stammering Association twelve months later.
Discussing presenting on Good Morning Britain back in 2021, he remarked: “Sometimes it goes wrong, but that’s fine, we all are a little bit in-fluent in our speaking in normal life.
“But the idea that I could be on Good Morning Britain, looking at the screen, reading the auto-cue and getting through a morning like this with all this noise in my ear. Twelve years ago, I would be in meltdown, and in fact today, loving it!”
The ITV presenter became emotional during the programme recently while discussing his stammer with Gareth Gates.
He expressed gratitude to the Pop Idol singer for motivating him to speak candidly about his own speech impediment. In 2024 he said: “You inspired me. I thought, ‘If Gareth Gates can do this, I can too.
“And if he can be public, I can be public too. It was really hard, but I did it because you showed me how to do it.”
As he became tearful, Gareth rose from his seat and pulled Ed into an embrace while Susanna remarked: “Nothing to be ashamed about, it’s part of your identity, isn’t it? He broke the ground for you, didn’t he, Ed?”
Good Morning Britain is available to watch weekdays on ITV from 6am.
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