8 Big-Name Celebrities Who Overcame Their Struggle with Stuttering

Cole Sprouse

Although there aren't many details regarding Cole's stuttering available, MSN reported that acting helped the former Disney star overcome a stutter that he had when he was very young.

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Ed Sheeran

Ed is now known for his melodic vocal ability, but his voice used to be the cause of much stress. "I had a port-wine stain birthmark on my face that I got lasered off when I was very young, and one day they forgot to put the anesthetic on, and then ever since then I had a stutter," he explained at the 9th Annual American Institute for Stuttering Benefit Gala. "The thing that I found most difficult about it was knowing what to say but not really being able to express it in the right way."

The singer actually credits Eminem for helping him stop stuttering. "My dad bought me the Marshall Mathers LP when I was nine years old, not knowing what was on it. And he let me listen to it, and I learned every word of it back to front by the age I was ten, and he raps very fast and very melodically, and very percussively, and it helped me get rid of the stutter."

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Kendrick Lamar

Like many artists, Kendrick used his craft as a way to escape his own mind and communicate in the way he wanted to. "As a kid, I used to stutter," he revealed to the New York Times. "I think that’s why I put my energy into making music. That’s how I get my thoughts out, instead of being crazy all the time."

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Chris Martin

The Coldplay frontman used to stutter as a child, but was able to stop with the help of a speech therapist. Although he has mostly gotten over his speech impediment, you can occasionally hear him trip over his words when he addresses a large audience.

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Michelle Williams

The former Destiny's Child singer used to be embarrassed about her stutter that she would literally get crippled with feat; she thought she'd never get over it.

"I used to stutter as I began to learn new words. My mind was thinking so much faster than what my mouth could say.

But even though she eventually stopped stuttering, she still faced criticism. "I don't stutter anymore," she said. "After the stuttering went away I became so proper. People used to say, `You trying to talk like a white person.'"

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Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman is an Academy Award winner who makes a living talking in front of large groups, but public speaking wasn't always such an easy feat.

"I am very shy -- really shy -- I even had a stutter as a kid, which I slowly got over, but I still regress into that shyness. I just remember everyone always saying to me, 'Calm down, think about what you're gonna say,' and then I grew out of it. I remember when I was little just being so excited to get it out and I couldn't get it out."

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Emily Blunt

Ever since she first burst into the Hollywood scene, British actress Emily Blunt has been incredibly open about the struggles she faced growing up with a stutter.

"I did have a bad stuttering problem as a child," she said in W magazine in 2009. "I'd try to push the words out, but it was frustrating. My parents took me to speech coaches and relaxation coaches. It didn't work. Then one of my teachers at school had a brilliant idea and said, 'Why don't you speak in an accent in our school play?' I distanced myself from me through this character, and it was so freeing that my stuttering stopped when I was on stage. It was really a miracle."

Emily then pursued acting even further, and eventually her stutter completely disappeared.

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Julia Roberts

Both Julia and her brother Eric Roberts (who's Emma Roberts' dad) have been nominated for Academy Awards, and also dealt with severe stutters as kids. The actor has been incredibly open about his speech impediment, but the actress is a bit more reserved. Although she tends to stay quiet on the subject, she has admitted to suffering from a stutter in the past.

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