Colin Firth, acclaimed actor from the new hit TV series Lockerbie and blockbusters like Kingsman and Bridget Jones’s Diary, is a name that resonates in homes across the nation. Yet, beyond his glittering career, he once grappled with a lesser-known health issue that led him to the operating table.
In his 20s, Colin sustained a vocal cord injury that severely affected his speech, making it difficult for others to understand him. Reflecting on this challenging time during an interview with The Guardian, he highlighted the often ‘underestimated’ psychological impact of such conditions, revealing how it ‘completely stifled’ his identity.
“The psychological damage of not being able to speak properly to people – in the way they expect – is underestimated,” he said in the 2011 conversation. “I couldn’t express myself.”
In 2011, Colin portrayed King George VI in The King’s Speech, a film centred around the monarch’s speech impediment. Although Colin had dealt with his own speech issues by then, he discovered that learning to stammer for the role had an unusual physical effect on him.
He explained at the time: “I had to learn to stammer and then play someone trying desperately not to. It put my left arm to sleep – it was very peculiar […] It was a semi-paralysis that would last for three or four days.”
Stammering is not uncommon, with the Express reporting that around one in 12 children will experience it at some point, with two-thirds overcoming the issue. For those who continue to live with it into adulthood, it affects about one in every 50 individuals.
The NHS has delineated two principal forms of stammering: ‘developmental stammering’ and ‘acquired or late-onset stammering’. Developmental stammering is more prevalent, typically surfacing in childhood as speech and language skills rapidly advance.
On the other hand, acquired stammering presents itself in older children or adults due to factors like head injuries, strokes, or progressive neurological conditions. “Speech development is a complex process that involves communication between different areas of the brain, and between the brain and the muscles responsible for breathing and speaking,” NHS guidance explains.
“When every part of this system works well, the right words are spoken in the right order, with correct rhythm, pauses and emphasis. A child learning to construct simple sentences needs practice to develop the different speech areas in the brain and create the ‘wiring’ (neural pathways) needed for the different parts to work well together.
“Stammering can happen if some parts of this developing system are not co-ordinated. This can cause repetitions and stoppages, particularly when the child has lots to say, is excited, or feels under pressure.
“As the brain continues to develop, stammering may resolve or the brain can compensate, which is why many children stop stammering as they get older.” For individuals who suspect they might have a stammer, the NHS advises consulting a GP.
Stamma, also known as the British Stammering Association, provides additional information and assistance for individuals who stammer and parents of children dealing with the condition.