Joe Biden
The 82-year-old former president says he would read poetry in front of a mirror for hours to overcome his stammer and improve his public speaking. He adds that he still stutters “occasionally, when I find myself really tired.”
He has worked as a mentor with young folks who stutter and tells them that it’s “critically important for them not to judge themselves by their speech – not let that define them.”
Nicole Kidman
The Oscar-winning actress says she was very shy as a kid and struggled to speak.
Kidman, 57, says, “I just remember everyone always saying to me, ‘Calm down, think about what you’re gonna say.'”
Winston Churchill
The British statesman and prime minister was known for his stirring speeches during World War II.
But he had a well-documented stuttering problem during his early years.
As a young boy, he struggled to overcome it, later realizing it may have helped him.
He said: “My impediment is no hindrance. It may even be an asset; for the tone of its recalcitrance may carry with it a sternness that I might not otherwise possess.”
Charlie Sheen
The 59-year-old actor said he stuttered as a child, but it had a good side for him – declaring: “Stuttering taught me how to listen, which we have all forgotten about.”
Sam Neill
The 77-year-old Jurassic Park star says his childhood stammer made him “painfully shy” because, “When people said something to me, I was afraid I’d have to reply so I really didn’t say much.”
