Search: Ed Balls Stammer
Schools Secretary Ed Balls has revealed his lifelong battle with a stammer - suggesting it would be no bar to eventually leading the Labour Party.
The father of three said the verbal condition had never gone away, likening it to "an iceberg. No one sees what's under the surface".
Telling the Daily Telegraph that being in a school play was "never for me", he added: "People who stammer try to avoid certain situations, but in my job you can't. You go out and learn by trial and error."
When asked whether he would stand for Labour leader if a vacancy arose, Mr Balls said: "There is no politician in the world who gets 10 out of 10 on every attribute to be a great leader."
He also cited other stammerers including Churchill as inspiration.
The Cabinet minister - seen as one of Gordon Brown's most loyal colleagues - said he was conscious of hitting a block when speaking because of his condition.
"The worst thing you can try and do is stop it. That's when you trip up. It happens to me on live TV," he told the Telegraph.
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"I'm never 100 per cent fluent, but it's OK. Hating it is the problem. You just have to relax and be yourself. I can't do perfectly crafted phrases or soundbite politics. It has to be conversational with me."
Asked directly if he would run for the Labour leadership, he said: "You know I am going to say Gordon Brown is the right leader to take us into the election and I think we're going to win.
"If I said I'd ruled out ever wanting to be Labour leader, you wouldn't believe me... I could get my chance. I may not."
