Corrie’s Paul Foreman to be diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease

Coronation Street is to explore the subject of living with motor neurone disease when Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) is diagnosed with the life-shortening illness next month.

 Peter Ash said:

“Paul is completely blindsided by the diagnosis and he decides to keep it from his family and friends as he tries to come to terms with the news. I knew very little about MND before embarking on the storyline and I am hugely grateful to the MND Association for all their help and support.

“For any actor playing a role which examines a real life issue or condition there comes a huge sense of responsibility and we are aware that some people watching this storyline are experiencing it in reality, it is their life.

“Awareness and education are really important. I have learned so much even in the short time I have been involved in this storyline. We hope Paul’s journey can make people more aware of the symptoms and what it is like for someone to live with MND.”

In recent episodes, viewers have seen Paul struggle to recover from injuries he sustained in a road accident. He was advised that he had muscle and nerve damage and was signed off work.

As Paul begins to notice other issues with balance, mobility, and dexterity, he is referred to a specialist tonight (Friday, March 24th) and in early April he is told it is very likely he has MND.

The diagnosis will be confirmed later in the month.

The storyline will follow the progression of the disease as Paul initially deals with the illness alone and eventually has to break the news to his loved ones.

Producer Iain Macleod said:

“Motor Neurone Disease is something that many people might have heard of but perhaps don’t know a lot about, even given the recent cases of public figures talking about their experiences of living with the condition.

“A show like Coronation Street is uniquely placed to show the day-to-day reality of dealing with an illness that gradually and progressively erodes the physical attributes that you perhaps take for granted, changing forever the way you interact with the world around you.

“At first, Paul – who as a builder, relies entirely on his physicality for his livelihood – will massively go off the rails in a misplaced bid to ensure he isn’t a burden on his loved ones. But in the end, they will be the ones to put him back together emotionally. We are committed to portraying in a long-term, sensitive way the effects of this condition on Paul and his family and friends, not shying away from the sometimes painful reality of what his life will be like.

“We have been privileged to work with the Motor Neurone Disease Association – including talking to people who have the condition and their families – to ensure we do justice to people’s real-life experiences.”

When plotting the storyline, the ITV soap consulted the MND Association – a charity dedicated to improving access to care, research, and advocacy for those with motor neurone disease.

MND Association Director of External Affairs Chris James said:

“We are really grateful to the team at Coronation Street for choosing to tackle this difficult subject. Putting MND in front of millions of viewers every week will raise incredible awareness and help educate people who have never come across this disease – showing the day to day reality for those living with it and the impact on their families, friends and neighbours too.

“The Coronation Street team has been incredibly responsible when considering storylines, scenarios and scripts, spending a lot of time talking to us and members of the MND community to ensure the onscreen portrayal of MND is realistic, sympathetic and sensitive.”

There is no cure for motor neurone disease (MND), which affects the brain and nerves. It causes muscle weakness that gets worse over time.

Over 80% of people with MND will have communication difficulties, for most this means a complete loss of voice.

Six people per day are diagnosed with MND in the UK. Up to 5,000 adults in the UK are affected at any one time. The disease kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis.

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8pm on ITV and STV