GMB: Paul Young opens up about his stammer

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Paul Young cut his teeth as the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips but it was his solo success in the 1980s that sent his career into the stratosphere. Young’s undeniable talent drew him to the stage but there was another impetus working in the background. The stage helped him to “conquer” his shyness from a childhood stammer.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, the 80s legend revealed how music helps to keep his stammer in check.

Young was a shy youngster with a stutter but the stage offered respite.

“Music has a tempo and that rhythm really helps,” the star said.

As the 80s star explained, if you’re singing to a rhythm you never stutter.

Although his stammer has “gone away pretty much”, the star went on to say, “if I get tired, it comes back”.

Young previously spoke about his stammer on ITV’s Lorraine.

The singer revealed he had the speech impediment during his time at school.

Young said it “must have been bad” because he took some time off from school for speech therapy and eventually overcame it.

“I think confidence is an integral part,” he explained and went on to say that there was possibly a “subconscious reason” that he joined a band.

“If you’re singing to a rhythm you never stutter,” Paul explained at the time.

According to the NHS, stammering, also sometimes referred to as stuttering, is a relatively common speech problem in childhood, which can persist into adulthood.

Stammering is when:

• You repeat sounds or syllables – for example, saying “mu-mu-mu-mummy”
• You make sounds longer – for example, “mmmmmmummy”
• A word gets stuck or does not come out at all.

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