Graeme Souness was emotional during an appearance on Good Morning Britain. The Liverpool legend was on the ITV daytime programme on Wednesday and offered support to a young girl who has a skin condition that means each day is an “uphill struggle”. Souness sat on the Good Morning Britain sofa with 13-year-old Jasmine Ritchie.
Jasmine is living with the disease, which Souness believes is “as bad as it gets”. The 72-year-old Scot discussed epidermolysis bullosa (EB), alongside Jasmine and her mother, who has recently completed a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for those living with the condition.
The disease causes the teenager’s skin to blister at the slightest itch, with her skin so thin that the smallest impact could be life-altering, reports The Mirror.
Souness is involved with a charity called DEBRA and has previously swum the English Channel to raise funds. The ex-Newcastle and Blackburn manager explained to Susanna Reid and Ed Balls why it was so important to provide support.
He said, “There are lots of terrible, terrible conditions and diseases out there but I believe EB is as bad as it gets. He continued: “Jasmine was born with this condition and I believe every day of her life is an uphill struggle.
“Every day is Groundhog Day; every day is filled with pain and itches. There’s no respite from it.”
Fighting back tears, Souness added: “Her (Jasmine’s) hair looks beautiful today and in makeup before the show, they were doing her ponytail but her mum, Anna, forgot to tell them that she’s got wounds on her head.
“I was standing next to Anna (Jasmine’s mum) and she burst into tears. I thought, ‘what’s happened?’ But Jasmine didn’t complain.
“I’ve been on here before with another child suffering with the same disease. I come from a world of winners and people who never back off anything. But on a scale of courage and being a winner, footballers are a one out of 10. These young people are a 10 out of 10.”
It is not the first time Souness has appeared on television to highlight the issues people with EB face. The former footballer enjoys a friendship with Isla Grist, who also suffers with the condition.
Souness previously said: “When we appeared on BBC Breakfast, discussing the skin condition which makes every day a huge challenge for her, she said in a matter-of-fact way that there were other people with challenges too. Typical Isla.
“Always making light of the cards she’s been dealt and the difficulty of getting through every day. She’s 14 and has Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a life-threatening skin condition also known as ‘butterfly skin’, which causes her body to blister and tear.
“It means hours of applying creams and, three to four times a week, the pain of changing her dressings. I can say this without any doubt at all: I’ve never witnessed a crueller condition. I’m a vice-president of the charity Debra, which is raising awareness of the condition and fundraising, and which will soon be lobbying the government for help.
“I’m sad to say that we currently have no Government help for the children who are suffering with this condition. It’s also been my privilege to meet Isla’s mother and father, Rachael and Andy, at their home in Inverness.
“There are times when Andy and I talk, as two fathers, and my heart breaks for him, carrying that desperation for a way to make his daughter’s life that bit better.”