Devastating death as tragic exit confirmed for Paul in Coronation Street

Coronation Street is set to explore the subject of living with motor neurone disease (MND), as Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) is diagnosed with the life shortening illness in April.

Following an accident that saw him knocked off a bike, Paul has struggled to recover from the injuries he sustained.

After consulting with Dr Gaddas, it was assumed that he had muscle and nerve damage and he was signed off work.

However, it will soon come to light that Paul’s condition may be more serious than that, and he is referred to a specialist after noticing other issues with his balance, mobility and dexterity.

In early April, he is informed that he may have MND, with the diagnosis being confirmed later in the month.

‘He gets informed that they are going to be testing for MND,’ actor Peter Ash told Metro.co.uk.

‘Paul doesn’t really know what that is so he has to ask a bit and the consultant explains these would be the symptoms if it is MND, and I think from that point he just goes into shock, really, from then.

‘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.’

Paul keeps the diagnosis from his partner Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) and family, confiding only in his flatmate Dee Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown).

‘He confides in Dee Dee but keeps it from everyone else,’ Peter explained. ‘He doesn’t want to tell people because, as he says to Dee Dee, he thinks people will treat him differently after that point, that he’ll be pitied and that he doesn’t want that, which is obviously understandable. He doesn’t want to worry people as well.’

About motor neurone disease (MND):

• MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.
• It attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work. MND does not usually affect the senses such as sight, sound and feeling etc.
• It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe.
• Over 80% of people with MND will have communication difficulties, for most this means a complete loss of voice.
• It affects people from all communities.
• Around 35% of people with MND experience mild cognitive change, in other words, changes in thinking and behaviour. A further 15% of people show signs of frontotemporal dementia which results in more pronounced behavioural change.
• It kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis.
• A person’s lifetime risk of developing MND is around 1 in 300.
• Six people per day are diagnosed with MND in the UK.
• It affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time.
• It kills six people per day in the UK, just under 2,200 per year.
• It has no cure.

This storyline will follow the progression of the disease as Paul initially deals with the illness alone, before eventually breaking the news to his loved ones.

‘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,’ series producer Iain MacLeod explained. ‘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.’

Coronation Street is working closely with the MND Association on this storyline which will explore the challenges faced by Paul and those around him in the coming months.

‘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.’ Iain said of the collaboration.

Director of External Affairs for the MND Association 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.’

As part of his research in preparation for the storyline, the MND Association put Peter Ash in contact with a man named Mike Small, who is currently living with MND.

‘Like the character Paul, Mike is a tradesman and his early symptoms caused him issues at work and he had problems at work.’ Chris James explained.

‘He also lives in a flat and he was able to share some of the challenges he’s faced in getting around and getting in and out of his flat that has been created for him from living with MND.

‘He’s also shared very candidly his emotional response to his diagnosis and I know that’s something that the team at Coronation Street are really, really keen to explore through Paul’s character.’

‘We had a really interesting chat with him.’ Peter added.

‘The MND Association have been a great help with us, they’ve been giving us all the information we need. When we go through the scripts and there’s a new symptom I’ll check in with them. Everyone here has been great with the help and the support and the research.’

There is currently no cure for MND, which means that this storyline will ultimately end in Paul’s death, and an exit from the show for Peter Ash.

‘I’ll be sad to leave the show,’ he refelcted. ‘It’s been such an amazing job, I’ve met fantastic people.

‘So I’ll be sad to leave, but also at the same time I’m quite happy to be involved in such a powerful storyline that hopefully will bring awareness to it. It’s a double-edged sword.’

You can find information and support on motor neurone disease by heading to the MND Association’s website.

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