Graeme Souness: Football legend swims Channel for £1m fundraiser

Football fable Graeme Souness has completed a aquatics crossed the English Channel to rise £1m for charity.

The ex-Liverpool subordinate was inspired to instrumentality connected the situation aft gathering Isla Grist, 14, who suffers from uncommon tegument illness Epidermolysis bullosa.

He broke down successful tears during a BBC interrogation arsenic helium described it arsenic "the cruellest illness retired there".

The 70-year-old, who lives successful Dorset, took 12 hours and 17 minutes to implicit the 21-mile swim.

He took portion successful the situation with 5 others, including Isla's father, to rise wealth for Debra UK, which supports radical with the disease, besides known arsenic butterfly skin.

Posting connected Twitter, the foundation offered its "huge congratulations" to Souness and his chap swimmers.

Speaking connected BBC Breakfast up of taking connected the gruelling trial of endurance, the erstwhile Rangers and Scotland subordinate described gathering Isla from the Scottish Highlands.

He choked backmost tears arsenic helium described her arsenic "the astir unsocial idiosyncratic I've ever met".

"She does this to maine each time. She's an inspiration to maine - adjacent astatine my age," helium said.

Isla, from Black Isle, adjacent Inverness, has had her information since commencement and has to beryllium wrapped caput to toed successful bandages. These are changed 3 times a week successful a process that is highly painful.

Souness said helium archetypal became alert of the illness astir 5 years ago. He said helium had present go "mates" with Isla, whose courageousness was an inspiration to him.

"This disease... it's the cruellest, nastiest disease. For idiosyncratic truthful young to beryllium truthful brave... and Isla's alert of the interaction this has connected her mum and dada and she helps them," helium said.

"This is simply a precise peculiar young woman you're successful the institution of, she truly is, and I am… she gets maine successful tears each clip I'm successful her company."

Special sum of Graeme Souness' Channel aquatics volition diagnostic connected BBC Breakfast connected Monday 19 June

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