Stuttering and Gareth Gates

I have to say that I was totally amazed a few years ago when Gareth Gates first appeared on our television screens.

The effect that stuttering has on the majority of people who have this form of speech impediment, is to make them become, lets say, less sociable than the average person.

This is most certainly the affect it had on me, I have to admit that at times I did let the stutter dictate my life. I let it stop me from going out with my friends, I shyed away from participating in classroom discussions and debates at school, and at work I did not want to progress as a promotion would have meant additional pressure and ultimately an increase in stuttering no doubt.

Then here comes along a person who has an amazing singing voice but who has a stutter. Did Gareth Gates let this horrible stutter stop him from achieving his goals? No of course he didn't.

Gareth was, I am sure, an inspiration for every stutterer out there and I think he was extremely brave to go on the television in the way that he did.

I can still remember the first time I saw him. He had entered into one of those singing search for a star, type competitions, on the t.v. I think it was called pop idol.

He came into the room to audition, in front of a panel of three people. He looked very nervous as one of them asked him what his name was.

Try as he might he found it very hard to say Gareth if my memory serves me correct, there and then he stated to the panel that he had a stuttering problem.

I could not believe it, what are you doing on the television young man, I thought to myself? You should be hiding away like every other person who has a stutter.

I continued to watch the program each week, basically in amazement at this young man and his bravery. Well done Gareth, you a star.