Martin Tyler reveals he underwent surgery to save his iconic voice – with the legendary Sky Sports commentator opening up on ‘frightening’ prospect of permanently being unable to speak

Martin Tyler has revealed he underwent surgery to save his iconic voice and has opened up about the ‘terrifying’ prospect of being unable to speak.

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

While he was replaced at Sky by Peter Drury, Tyler has one of the most recognizable and well-known voices on television, with the 78-year-old becoming the voice of the Premier League over the past two decades.

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

“I was using my voice too much and the climate in Qatar was affecting my cords, so I realized I needed help,” Tyler said The Daily Star.

The 78-year-old commentator admitted he feared he could lose his voice permanently

Tyler started at Sky Sports 33 years ago and became one of the most recognizable voices on TV

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 thought of not working anymore wasn’t the worst thing. Not being able to socialize was a real prospect,” he added.

‘It was scary not to answer the phone, go for coffee with a friend and only talk to those very close to me.

‘I have had a very long career, so the loss of my livelihood had financial consequences, but it was the loss of social contacts that affected me.

‘When I lost my voice I had to go to a few events and that was very difficult. I had to hide or reveal my condition to people I was close to and trusted.”

Tyler has stepped back onto the stage since leaving Sky Sports, with the 78-year-old now working at TNT Sports and surprising fans in December when he called Shakhtar Donetsk’s Champions League match against Porto.

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

‘I have written forty comments since my treatment. It is a miracle. It (my vote) didn’t mean anything to me before, but it now means that I don’t take my voice for granted. Losing my voice and the possibility of losing it forever was the worst-case scenario.”

Tyler was often accompanied by ex-footballers such as Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher

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

In December, Tyler had also stated that he had been fired by Sky Sports, claiming that he had not resigned as originally announced.

“I have not resigned, I have resigned,” he told The Sun.

‘I haven’t retired yet. I am very grateful to a number of channels that have decided that I still have something to contribute.’

He added: ‘Please don’t think there is any bitterness about Sky, they have given me a great run.

‘I have a lot of friends there, I will be in the Emirates press room after the Arsenal vs. Brighton match watching the Liverpool vs. Manchester United coverage and it will bring back a lot of personal memories. I wish everyone the best.’

His most famous comment came at the height of the 2011-12 Premier League season, when Sergio Aguero scored Man City’s dramatic late winner against QPR to wrest the league title from rivals Man United.