Coronation Street star Peter Ash has revealed all about Paul Foreman‘s devastating motor neurone disease diagnosis.
Paul’s currently struggling with what he thinks are the after-effects of the accident he had when Carla knocked him off a motorbike.
He’s having problems with his hand, and he’s worried there could be permanent damage.
But he’ll soon discover that there’s more to his symptoms than he thought.
And it’s not good news.
Devastating diagnosis
Early next month Paul from Coronation Street will find out his doctor is worried he could have motor neurone disease. And he’s later officially diagnosed with the untreatable condition.
Peter Ash, who plays Paul told us at the moment his alter ego isn’t worried his symptoms could indicate something more sinister.
“It’s all about him wanting to get back to work and get earning again,” he told us. “For the longest while he just thinks it’s a trapped nerve or a weakness caused by the bike accident.”
So it’s a nasty surprise for poor Paul when he finds out his doctor suspects he could have MND.
World turned upside down
“He doesn’t really know what that is,” says Peter. “The consultant says these would be the symptoms and he just goes into shock really. It turns his whole world upside down.”
To begin with, Paul doesn’t confide in anyone except his friend Dee-Dee Bailey.
“Dee-Dee is the one person he confides in. She’s the one who’s there for him. Bless her, she deals with a lot. He doesn’t want to tell people because he feels they will treat him differently. He doesn’t want pity.”
Getting it right
Peter says he has a “massive responsibility” to get the story right.
“I want to represent it properly,” he says. “We act it but there are people watching who are living with it.” And he points out that while he and the Corrie cast and crew know what’s going to happen to Paul, the people who have MND in real life, aren’t so lucky.
“This is Paul’s story, and we know what his progression will be,” Peter says. “But people living with MND don’t know that.”
He’s done a lot of research and has been working with the MND Association.
“When I go through my scripts and there’s a new symptom, I’ll check in with them,” he says.
Peter has also met with real-life people who have an MND diagnosis, and says the stories are “inspirational”.
Saying goodbye
Because MND is untreatable, this storyline does mean that Paul will eventually leave the show. The storyline will follow the progression of his illness and his eventual death.
So how did Peter feel about being given this story for Paul?
“Late last year, (Corrie boss) Iain MacLeod said we’ve got this very big storyline for you, it will be a great thing to do but it will mean an eventual exit,” Peter revealed. “I’ll be sad to leave but I am also quite happy to be involved in such a powerful storyline.”
Read more: Complete Coronation Street cast list 2023 – meet them all here!
Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
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