Legendary Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler, 78, reveals he underwent surgery to save his voice after a buildup of keratin in his throat – caused by “overuse” – threatened to leave him mute.

Martin Tyler has revealed he underwent surgery to save his iconic voice and opened up about the “scary” prospect of finding himself unable to speak.

It was announced in June 2023 that the legendary Sky Sports commentator would be leaving his role at the broadcaster, ending a 33-year spell with the company.

Despite being replaced at Sky by Peter Drury, Tyler has one of the most recognizable and well-known voices on television, with the 78-year-old having become the voice of the Premier League over the past 20 years. years.

Despite this, Tyler revealed he feared losing his voice permanently after damaging it during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“I was abusing my voice and the weather in Qatar was affecting my strings, so I realized I needed help,” Tyler told the Daily Star.

The former Sky Sports broadcaster claimed he damaged his voice during the World Cup in Qatar.

The 78-year-old commentator admitted his fears of permanently losing his voice.

He then had to undergo surgery at St George’s Hospital in London to remove a keratosis, a small growth of keratin, on his larynx.

“My voice is my identity, but the idea of ​​no longer working was not the worst part, because not being able to socialize was a real prospect,” he added.

“Not being able to answer the phone, going for coffee with a friend and only speaking to those who were very close to me was scary.

“I’ve had a very long career, so losing my life had financial implications, but it was the loss of socialization that hit me.

“When I lost my voice, I had to attend a few events and it was very difficult. I had to either hide my condition or reveal it to people I was close to and trusted. trust.

Tyler has returned to the gantry since leaving Sky Sports, with the 78-year-old now working with TNT Sports and surprised fans in December when he called Shakhtar Donetsk’s Champions League match against Porto.

He thanked professionals at St George’s, including speech therapist Elissa Finn, who helped him recover.

“Since my treatment, I have made 40 comments. It’s a miracle. It (my voice) didn’t mean anything to me before, but it now means to me to not take my voice for granted. Losing my voice and the possibility of losing it forever was the worst case scenario.

In December, Tyler also said he had been sacked by Sky Sports, claiming he had not resigned as was initially reported.

“I didn’t quit, I was quit,” he told The Sun.

Tyler started at Sky Sports 33 years ago and has become one of television’s most recognizable voices.

Tyler was often joined in the gantry by former footballers such as Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.

Peter Drury replaced Tyler as Sky Sports’ lead commentator and has settled in well so far

“I haven’t retired. I’m very grateful to some channels who decided I still had something to contribute.

He added: “Please don’t think there is any bitterness about Sky, they have given me a wonderful journey.

“I have a lot of friends there, I will watch in the Emirates press room after the Arsenal-Brighton match, the coverage of Liverpool against Manchester United and it will bring back a lot of personal memories. I wish good luck to everybody.

His most famous comment came at the climax of the 2011-12 Premier League season when Sergio Aguero scored Man City’s spectacular goal against QPR to steal the league title from rivals Man United.