Sky Sports favourite Chris Kamara has recently quit his role after entertaining millions for 24 years on Soccer Saturday.
But the loveable, kind and charming reporter came from a very "challenging" upbringing in Middlesbrough, and he's recently opened up on the struggles of being the only black family in the area at the time. Kamara quit Soccer Saturday after being diagnosed with apraxia of speech, which makes it difficult for him to talk, but he was still the nation's favourite - and remains a treasure.
However, this wasn't always the case as people didn't used to take so kindly to Kamara back in the day, when he was growing up in Middlesbrough over 50 years ago. And Kamara opened up about his past in a trip down memory lane.
Kamara revisited Middlesbrough where it all began, and in a video with Vertu Motors he described what it was like growing up there as a youngster. Kamara said: "I am Boro born and bred. It was where I was made; I will always be grateful for that.
"My dad worked in the blast furnace and the chemical paints department, which were two dangerous jobs. But they were vital for the town back in the day.
"We were the first black family in the area, which was really challenging for my mum and dad. If anything bad happened on the estate, they would blame it on my dad."
It was challenging for Kamara's parents, and it was tough for him at school too, although he paid tribute to some very special friends that helped him through it. Kamara added: I had some very special friends throughout my school.
"Those friends protected me and made my life comfortable even though people tried to make it uncomfortable." And perhaps one thing that helped Kamara was his love and passion for football.
Kamara attended a Middlesbrough game when he was very young, and it seems as though this is where everything changed. "Going to a football match as a young lad blew my mind," Kamara added. "To be able to play the game professionally was incredible.
"As a kid, it was always my main ambition to play for Boro, and I first went to Ayresome Park in 1966." And Kamara's dream finally came true in 1993 when he spent a short time on loan there, but only made five league appearances.
After playing for Middlesbrough's youth team as a child, and then for the Navy team after joining the service as a 16-year-old, Kamara was spotted by Portsmouth manager Ian St John. His life changed as he was brought to the south of England, and his footballing career quickly took off.
Kamara played for teams such as Portsmouth, Swindon, Brentford and even Leeds United over the course of his career. But it wasn't towards the end of it that he achieved his childhood dream by playing for Middlesbrough.
