Ed Balls praised after tearful interview with Gareth Gates about their stammers

‘It was really hard to be public, but I did it because you showed me how to,’ Balls told ‘Pop Idol’ star while fighting back tears

Good Morning Britain viewers have been left emotional by a tearful interview in which Ed Balls thanked Gareth Gates for helping him with struggles related to his stammer.

Gates, who recently won Channel 4 series Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, appeared on ITV breakfast show GMB on Wednesday (15 November), where he discussed his career to date, which launched after winning Pop Idol in 2001.

Balls and Gates both have stammers, and the former, alongside his co-host Susanna Reid, commended the 39-year-old on the two-decade career that’s followed, which has included roles on stage in pantomimes, including in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Stammering is a neurological condition that makes it physically hard to speak. People who stammer might prolong, repeat, or get stuck on certain words or sounds, while others might display signs of visible tension as they try to get a word out.

“There’s nothing you can’t achieve and I know literally sitting on this sofa this morning, you will be a role model to people watching,” Reid told Gates, with Balls adding emotionally: “You inspired me.”

The broadcaster, who fought back tears, then shared a mantra he used to repeat to himself to get through times when he struggled with his stammer.

“I thought, ‘If Gareth Gates can do this, I can too, and if he can be public, I can be public too’,” Balls said. “And it was really hard but I did it because you showed me how to do it.”

Balls described Gates “a huge role model for me”, telling the singer and actor: “Can I say for me, to actually meet you and to talk to you is such an honour.”

He added: “When I wasn’t talking publicly about my stammer, I was actually a cabinet minister and you were out there and you were having a stammer but also showing you could be at the top of your game and being a star.”

Gates, who was visibly overwhelmed by Balls’s comments, replied: “Thank you. Thank you for saying that. It means a lot. You’re a role model for me now – you doing this [show] is incredible, so thank you. Well done.”

Ed Balls grew emotional while discussing his stammer with ‘’GMB’ guest Gareth Gates (ITV)

Speaking about being on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, which sees stars put through their paces by ex-army officials, Gates said he’s now “much more confident” and “got quite a lot out of the show”.

Gates said that one of his “greatest achievements” is that he has “proved to people that you can have an affliction and don’t let it dictate who you are”.

He said: ”As a child, having a speech impediment was a very negative thing for me. But then as soon as I went on Pop Idol, it was actually the thing that made me stand out from the crowd and so, you know, I was actually pleased that I had a stammer then because it did kind of put me on the map as it were.”

Balls said he had a similar experience to Gates, stating: ”I couldn’t have done what I’ve done in life without the stammer. I would actually almost choose to have it because it’s made me, that’s a really important thing to say to people.”

Viewers praised the pair for their interaction on X/Twitter, with one calling it their “genuine, authentic respect for one another” a “golden moment”.

Ed Balls and Gareth Gates hug after discussing their stammers (ITV)

Another viewer added: “So inspiring from both Gareth and Ed. I will show my son later who also has a stammer and he will learn that he can still achieve whatever he wants in life.”

Others called it “a beautiful moment” and “inspirational viewing”.