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Chris Kamara bemoans 'only five turning up' for Soccer Saturday reunion with Jeff Stelling
Chris Kamara bemoans 'only five turning up' for Soccer Saturday reunion with Jeff Stelling

Wales Online

timea day ago

  • Entertainment
  • Wales Online

Chris Kamara bemoans 'only five turning up' for Soccer Saturday reunion with Jeff Stelling

Chris Kamara bemoans 'only five turning up' for Soccer Saturday reunion with Jeff Stelling Three years after he walked away from Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, Chris Kamara uploaded a picture he had with his former colleagues at a reunion Chris Kamara recently arranged a reunion with his ex-Soccer Saturday colleagues (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA, Getty Images ) Chris Kamara has expressed his dismay after only five people turned up for the Soccer Saturday reunion he arranges every year. The 67-year-old football pundit and former Sheffield United and Luton Town star was known for creating many amusing moments during his 24-year tenure on the show. Three years after leaving Soccer Saturday, Kamara shared an image from their recent gathering at a restaurant. ‌ Last year, he had organised a reunion that saw the likes of Alan McInally, Tony Cottee, Jeff Stelling, Phil Thompson and a Sky Sports producer join him. Fast forward to 2025, Kamara brought the gang back together again, this time with Charlie Nicholas, Geoff Shreeves, Bianca Westwood and the producer present. ‌ Absent were familiar faces from Soccer Saturday such as Thompson, Cottee, McInally, Paul Merson and Matt Le Tissier, who, presumably, had valid reasons for missing the event. Kamara, nevertheless, appeared disappointed with the low number of ex-colleagues who turned up. Alongside the photo, he added the caption: "Soccer Saturday reunion dinner. Only five turned up. But still a fabulous night. Condo (producer), Champagne Charlie, Bianca and, of course, Unbelievable Jeff Stelling." The use of a crying face emoji within his caption indicated his sadness at the sparse attendance. About five years have passed since Sky decided to refresh the Soccer Saturday line-up, bidding farewell to several longstanding pundits. Article continues below Ahead of the 2020/21 season, Thompson, Nicholas and Le Tissier were let go from the show. Stelling, Kamara and Merson remained on the programme, while newcomers Adebayo Akinfenwa, Tim Sherwood, Robbie Fowler and Joleon Lescott joined as replacements. Content cannot be displayed without consent In 2022, Kamara departed Soccer Saturday following a speech apraxia diagnosis. Although he didn't return to the show, he made a comeback to live football TV on Boxing Day, where he appeared on Amazon Prime's Premier League coverage alongside Stelling, who stepped down from his Sky Sports position in 2023 after a 25-year tenure. ‌ Kamara shared his emotions about leaving Sky due to his condition, which slows down speech and thought processes, in a revealing interview with the Express. He said: "After 20 plus years of being the first ever in-vision reporter at a live football match, it was with sadness when I realised that I was no longer able to do what I had always taken for granted - just be me. "At that time, I could hardly talk, wasn't able to remember the players names and was slurring my words. I knew then that I had to get help." Chris Kamara left Sky Sports in 2022 after being diagnosed with speech apraxia (Image: 2025 Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA ) Article continues below Kamara was overcome with emotion when he got the call from an Amazon Prime producer. Looking back on that moment, he added: "When my wife told me Amazon had been on the phone, I said, 'I know I am getting under your feet, but I'm not delivering parcels!' "Seriously, Andrew Hornett [Amazon's senior coordinating producer] was on the phone asking me to work for Amazon Prime, covering the Forest v Spurs match with the unbelievable Jeff Stelling - and I loved it! "No anxiety, no slurring, the game was good and Nottingham Forest treated me like a returning hero. So, if that's my last game as a reporter, what a way to go out.'

Inside Katie Hannon's family life with husband Andrew and twin girls
Inside Katie Hannon's family life with husband Andrew and twin girls

Extra.ie​

time4 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Extra.ie​

Inside Katie Hannon's family life with husband Andrew and twin girls

Katie Hannon has been one of the most prominent figures in the Irish current affairs world for a number of years now. However, it's a sad day for Upfront fans, as RTE confirmed today that the show has been axed and won't return. Issuing a statement, the presenter said she was 'proud' of what Upfront achieved, adding: 'We managed to buck the international trend and actually grew our audience on linear television and our digital footprint. Katie Hannon. Pic: RTÉ 'It was a privilege to work with our small team of talented and hardworking colleagues led by our editor Janet Traynor. I also want to thank all of those who came into our studio and trusted us with their stories and contributed to the national conversation on the issues that matter to all of us. 'I'm disappointed that we won't be able to keep that conversation going.' But what do we know about the Kerry native's life away from the camera? Katie Hannon in 1997. Pic: Eamonn Farrell Photocall Ireland Katie Hannon was born in August 1971 and is from the village of Duagh in Co Kerry. The popular RTE presenter grew up on a farm with her seven siblings: three brothers and four sisters. Katie Hannon in 1999. Pic: Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland As a child, Katie attended Duagh National School and Presentation Secondary School in Listowel before studying journalism at the Dublin Institute of Technology. The Hannon family suffered a devastating tragedy in 1993 when her brother, Joe, lost his battle to cancer at just 30. Speaking to RTE Guide in 2023, the 53-year-old said the shock passing 'left a huge hole' in the family. Katie Hannon in 2005. Pic: Photocall Ireland She said: 'Joe was in his late teens when he was first diagnosed and recovered after treatment. 'Then he got another type of cancer in his late 20s and that was ultimately that.' After finishing college, Katie served as a political correspondent for the Evening Herald from 1992 to 1999, and then for the Irish Examiner until 2001. She was also political editor of Ireland on Sunday from 2002 to 2004, before finally joining RTE when she appeared on an episode of The Panel. Katie Hannon on RTÉ Radio 1. Pic: RTÉ After that, Katie was seen presenting Prime Time at different phases, but she moved on to present RTE Radio One shows The Late Debate and Saturday with Katie Hannon from 2018 to 2022. In November 2022 the news came that Katie would be taking over from Claire Byrne with her own show, Upfront with Katie Hannon. The show started airing in January 2023. Katie has also regularly filled in for Joe Duffy on Liveline, with many people now speculating more than ever that she could be taking over after Duffy announced his retirement. Betting has been slashed to 1/5 on Hannon taking over Liveline, according to bookies. A Ladbrokes spokesperson said: 'It looks as though a decision has been made when it comes to Joe Duffy's replacement… with Upfront now cancelled, Katie Hannon's diary is now clear for the iconic gig, and the odds suggest it's hers.' Katie is fairly private in terms of her family life. She is married to her husband, Andrew Fitzpatrick, who also works for RTE, and the couple shares twin daughters who were born in 2010, meaning they are around 15 years old today.

A good neighbor who was worth the wait
A good neighbor who was worth the wait

Yahoo

time6 days ago

  • General
  • Yahoo

A good neighbor who was worth the wait

This morning the sound of water woke me at seven, splashing onto our balcony. I'd been awake reading until nearly two, and hoped to sleep until eight or nine. First, it's a Saturday. Plus nothing pressing waits at my desk. And that's a rare thing for me. A flock of geese honked, the birds sang, the usual morning sounds, but the downpour was strange, beyond strange, as the sky was that vast beautiful blue that happens more and more this time of year. I threw back the covers. When I stepped onto my balcony, I saw that my upstairs neighbor was pouring buckets of water over his. I said, 'What are you doing?' And he said, 'I'm cleaning my deck.' He heard the alarm in my voice, the distress in my tone, but he threw another bucket anyway, splashing potting soil out of another of my planters. 'Well, you've made quite the mess of mine!' I yelled. Which made the big white dog that lives below me bark and the small white dog bark that lives next to the big white dog bark. Before long there were three dogs barking. 'Okay, I'll stop,' he said. And without apology, he went back inside and slammed the door. It took me all morning to clean up the muddy spray that smeared my flooring, chairs, flowerpots, and siding. A part of me felt like marching up to his place to say that a condo balcony isn't like the deck of a house where you can do what you like. But I know disinterest when I hear it, heed it when it comes at me, and try not to overreact, i.e., cuss at him. Because I wanted to cuss at him. The bright spot is that he made me miss my old upstairs neighbor, Frank. Or, sometimes known to me as, 'Fraaank! For cripes sake, are you smoking on your balcony again?' 'I know. I know,' he'd say. Frank and I never met face to face. We were a little like Tim & Wilson who never revealed his full face on the sitcom "Home Improvement,' communicating not from behind a fence, but with a floor/ceiling between us. But the way we disagreed, I realize, was a rare gift between neighbors. Compared to what happened this morning, our exchanges were gentler, more considerate, even humorous — the best kind of neighborly give-and-take. 'Fraaank?' 'Promise you won't tell the board on me.' Frank needed to smoke, and I knew it. I also know the truth of condo living is that it's impossible to connect deeply with all of your neighbors, consideration is more important. So Frank's smoking was kind of a test. It felt like that to me anyway, and I did my best not to over object to his dependency because I also valued his quiet dignity, his sort of innocent chuckle mostly aimed at himself, and for two years, he revealed more and more ways the word 'neighbor' was apt. For example, in August of 2022, I had a gathering of friends that was bound to get a little rowdy because I'd made a pitcher of Negroni's. I texted Frank to say that one of us tends to laugh really loud when her dance shoes are on — it was me — emphasizing that it was Girls Night Out because I thought it might be rude to warn him but not invite him. Later — two seconds later — he texted back, 'Can I come?' Frank died in 2023. And, writing this now, I think how the people I know on the island are smart, hardworking people, saving the world with our organic food, recycling, and electric vehicles which, if nothing else, mirrors our hope. We do what we can, fight for things that need saving, buy our books from our local bookstore, support our community because, we figure, too many people don't anymore. I understand that this is the best most of us can do, and it's the best I can do. But Frank? Frank (Frank R. Jozwiak, tribal lawyer) did so much for so many that it feels as if this is no longer a story about neighborliness, but about selfless dedication. Frank and I never talked about our work lives. It was only after he died that I read how he practiced federal Indian law, including ten years as in-house counsel for the Makah Indian Tribe at Neah Bay. He drafted tribal constitutions, ordinances, drug and alcohol codes for tribal governments and enterprises. He represented tribal clients before numerous federal, state, and tribal courts throughout the United States. God, I thought, no wonder he smoked. Once, Frank spoke more intimately. Leaning over the railing, he said that his wife used to scold him, too. 'About what?' I said. ' 'One thing or another,' he said. 'So you kind of make me feel at home.' It wasn't an invitation to a longer conversation, just a clear after in our relationship — reserved before and more friendly after. As soon as I was back inside, I excitedly told my husband what a great exchange we'd had. When he asked me what, specifically, was so great about it, I couldn't really explain why Frank's talking about his personal life made me feel so happy, only that it did, as if the floor boards above had finally swung open to let a friendship in, which I think is the best way of putting it. These are the kind of interactions that have always renewed me. It just took us longer to give ourselves over; to recognize how in need of each other we really are, or can be, if not with this neighbor, then some other neighbor. And if I have any influence by telling a story about a good neighbor and it makes another person into a better one, it's been a good workday in my world. Mary Lou Sanelli's latest title is "In So Many Words." She works as a writer, speaker, and master dance teacher. An exhibition of her poetry alongside art by Fatima Young, "Visual Memoirs: Painting and Poetry," runs through June at the Bainbridge Island library. For more information visit This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: A good neighbor who was worth the wait | Opinion

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