Graeme Souness swimming English Channel for charity after leaving Sky Sports role

An emotional Graeme Souness has revealed he was swimming in the English Channel to help people living with epidermolysis bullosa, a rare skin condition.

The former Liverpool and Scotland captain, who has just left his pundit role on Sky Sports after 15 years, fought back tears as he described the pain and misery the disease brings to children.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mail Sport columnist Souness, 70, said: ‘It’s the most horrible disease. If you have it, you have to wake up every morning and say “why me? »

“It’s a desperate situation. And then the parents have to deal with it. And that’s why we do this.

“I am involved in this because of the severity of this disease. If people haven’t experienced it or seen it, you have no idea how hopeless this thing is.

Souness will swim 21 miles across the English Channel on June 18 to raise money for the DEBRA charity, which supports people living with the disease.

He wants to raise at least £1.1million as he wore the No.11 on the football pitch.

Souness was filmed chatting with Isla Grist, a 14-year-old girl who had to undergo plastic hand surgery due to a degenerative disease.

Isla described the agony of even changing her bandages on her hands, with Souness almost at the end of her tether at her bravery.

Souness plus Isla’s father Andy and four others will take to the waters between Dover and Calais next month and a A fundraising page has been created on the DEBRA website.

“Isla is simply the bravest human being I have ever met,” Souness added. “When I am in his company, I am very in tears.

“She just inspires me, she’s incredibly brave and brave.”

The crossing could take up to 16 hours to swim, but Souness said: “I wanted to do something that could make a difference in Isla’s life and in the lives of so many other people living with EB, and the slightly crazy idea of ​​swimming in the English Channel was suggested.

“Now I’m not one to shy away from a challenge, but this is all new to me; although I have lived by the sea for 16 years, I have never been there, so this will definitely be the toughest challenge I have ever faced.

“I’m determined to finish the swim, though. Alongside Isla’s father, Andy, and the rest of the team, we will rise to the challenge and in doing so, raise awareness of EB and support to find the treatments we so desperately need.

Last month Souness announced he was leaving his pundit role on Sky Sports after 15 years.

“I’m gonna miss you guys, guys backstage, our makeup artist, I’m gonna miss you all,” Souness said on air.

“You know, for me, I decided football management wasn’t for me anymore. I had the wrong temper for it, the wrong personality.

“And then I was given the opportunity to do that and it’s been wonderful. It’s just the most fantastic time for me, because I love football, I care about football and I worry for the future.

“But in Sky’s hands it’s in good hands, safe hands, and I think over the years we’ve created a Premier League in great detail and I think we look after the soccer,” he continued.

“But for me personally, I have the buzz of live football coming to fantastic matches and fantastic stadiums and big events. I think I owe people 100 apologies, but we don’t have time for that.

“I think people back home obviously don’t always agree with us, but they’re really great guys.

“And it’s great right now to be with friends and nothing lasts forever, but I have a lot to come, I’m involved with my DEBRA charity and on the 27th of this month I’ll be announcing the challenge that I involve myself in.

“But it’s been great so thank you everyone.”

Souness left Sky by mutual consent as his contract with broadcasters was due to expire at the end of the season.