Last week British singer and actor Gareth Gates, who has been open about his own struggle with stuttering, hosted “Stop my Stutter”, a BBC TV production that chronicled the lives of a group of young people who stutter. Gareth Gates became well known in Britain since competing in the UK’s version of American Idol, called “Pop Idol”. You can see his first audition here, where he impresses the judges, including the famously cynical Simon Cowell, and moved on to be one of the top ten finalists. Although he did not win, he got a recording contract shortly after and has since led a career in music and on the stage.
In the show, the five subjects undergo speech therapy using the McGuire Program method. Gareth has spoken out about his stuttering and how the therapy he received in the McGuire Program helped him get it under control to a point where it did not derail his ambitions in life. Graduates of the program can go on to be tutors and help other stutterers complete the program, which is what the program “Stop my Stutter” is about. Although the BBC website restricts viewing of the show outside the UK, you can watch it in installments here on youtube. News about McGuire possibly coming to Canada will be forthcoming.