The ex-Liverpool player was inspired to take on the challenge after meeting Isla Grist, 14, who suffers from the rare skin disease Epidermolysis bullosa.
The 70-year-old broke down in tears during a BBC interview as he called it “the cruellest disease out there”.
Souness completed the 21-mile swim as part of a six-person relay team in 12 hours and 17 minutes.
Posting on Twitter, the charity offered its “huge congratulations” to Souness and his fellow swimmers.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast before taking on the gruelling test of endurance, the former Rangers and Scotland player, who lives in Dorset, described meeting Isla from the Scottish Highlands.
He choked back tears as he described her as “the most unique person I’ve ever met”.
“She does this to me every time. She’s an inspiration to me – even at my age,” he said.
A Football Legend’s Epic Swim for a £1m Fundraiser
Isla, from Black Isle, near Inverness, has had her condition since birth and has to be wrapped head to toe in bandages. These are changed three times a week in an excruciating procedure.
Souness said he first became aware of the disease about five years ago. He said he had now become “mates” with Isla, whose courage inspired him.
“This disease… it’s the cruellest, nastiest disease. For someone so young to be so brave… and Isla’s aware of the impact this has on her mum and dad, and she helps them,” he said.
“This is an extraordinary young lady you’re in the company of, she is, and I am… she gets me in tears every time I’m there.”
Former footballer and TV pundit Graeme Souness has completed a 21-mile charity swim across the English Channel.
The 70-year-old has raised more than £1m for Debra UK, a national charity supporting individuals and families affected by epidermolysis bullosa (EB).
EB is a rare state that causes painful, blistering skin. Souness said he was inspired to take on the challenge after spending time with a good friend, Isla Grist, 14, living with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.
Joined by five friends, including Isla’s father, Andy, the Scotland former professional footballer completed the challenging swim in 12 hours and 17 minutes on Sunday, according to Debra UK’s Twitter page.
Graeme Souness’s Charity Channel Swim
“From the time I have spent with Isla and her family, I have seen first-hand the extreme pain this devastating condition causes and the daily challenges it creates,” Souness detailed on the fundraising page for the challenge.
“I wanted to do something that could make a difference to Isla’s life and the lives of so many others living with EB, and the slightly crazy idea of swimming the English Channel was suggested.
“Now, I’m not one to walk away from a challenge, but this is all new to me; despite living by the sea for the past 16 years, I’ve never been in it, and so this will undoubtedly be the most difficult challenge I’ve ever taken on.
Graeme aims to raise £ 1.1 million to stop the pain of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) when he takes on the challenge next month.
His good friend, 14-year-old Isla Grist, lives with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa and has made a deep impression on Graeme.
He explained: “From the time I have spent with Isla and her family, I have seen first-hand the extreme pain this devastating condition causes and the daily challenges it creates for them.
“I wanted to do something that could make a difference to Isla’s life and the lives of so many others living with EB, and the slightly crazy idea of swimming the English Channel was suggested.
“Now, I’m not one to walk away from a challenge, but this is all new to me; despite living by the sea for the past 16 years, I’ve never been in it, and Isla is the only reason I did.
“Alongside Isla’s dad, Andy, and the rest of the team, I am determined to complete the Channel crossing, to raise awareness of EB, and to raise the funds that DEBRA so desperately needs.
“Please support me; every pound raised gets us one step closer to a world where no one suffers from the pain of EB”.
A Legendary Fundraising Feat
The money raised from Graeme’s swim will go to DEBRA, the butterfly skin charity, to clinically test drugs already available within the NHS that could radically improve the quality of life for people living with EB.
You can sponsor Graeme and the team’s English Channel swim here.
The football legend recently celebrated his 70th birthday and will take to the water on Sunday, June 18.
It is estimated the swim could take up to 16 hours, as he aims to raise £ 1.1 million for the charity, symbolic of his former number 11 jersey.
