Graeme Souness held back tears as he appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss a rare and painful condition affecting young people he is set to support in a new charity endeavour. The former Liverpool midfielder typically provides his ‘no-nonsense’ views on TV, but he changed his approach to raise awareness of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), which he described as a disease “sent by the devil”.
EB is an agonising condition which leaves the skin extremely delicate. Souness, 73, serves as president of charity Debra UK, which helps those living with EB. He is aiming to raise £500,000 through scaling the tallest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales in just three days. That includes Snowdon and three open-water swimming sessions in mountain lakes and lochs.
Souness was joined on GMB by 13-year-old Jasmine Ritchie, who has EB, offering a window into the everyday experience of managing the condition.
“You just have to live with pain throughout the day, every day. We just have to get used to it, we have no other choice,” Jasmine said.
“Every day it’s three or four hours (of bandaging).”
Souness grew emotional as he considered what youngsters with EB must face. “It’s horrific, if Jasmine was to show you her hands, you would cry, I get very emotional talking about it because I have got things in my head I can’t unsee,” he said.
“We talk about bravery. These kids, what they go through is beggars belief. It’s a condition that was sent by the Devil.”
Souness’ commitment to the charity stemmed from his encounter with young EB sufferer Isla Grist, which prompted him to swim the English Channel in 2023 to raise funds.
He is now gearing up for another gruelling challenge, with the Three Peaks expedition and three open-water swims poised to test his endurance to the absolute limit.
The former midfielder confessed he’s especially apprehensive about the freezing temperatures awaiting him in mountain lakes and lochs, where he’ll be swimming without a wetsuit.
“I’ve trained for it, I think I’m ready for it. What I’ve not trained for is how cold the water will be up there,” he said.
Souness also seized the opportunity to spotlight the financial struggles facing Debra UK, emphasising that the charity receives no government funding.
“We’re a small charity, we get no help from the government,” he said. “You having us on here (GMB) is an enormous help because if you make more people aware of what this condition is then more people will get involved.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
