Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) was recently given some devastating news in Coronation Street when he was told that the symptoms he’d been recently experiencing with weakness in his hand could be caused by motor neurone disease (MND).
As Peter Ash revealed to Metro.co.uk, Paul’s instinct is to hide the diagnosis from his loved ones.
‘He does say he wants to be sure first before he tells anyone, which is understandable,’ the actor said. ‘But also he’s been worrying so much lately about his money problems. He’s got his sister’s wedding coming up, which is going to be a big stressful event. He feels like there’s too much going on in everyone’s life at the moment to unload that on them. He kind of bottles it up and just keeps it in.’
Obviously the pressure of hiding such a thing is immense, as Paul struggles with the physical symptoms he’s experiencing and he’s already been accused of being drunk when George (Tony Maudsley) saw him spill a drink in the Rovers.
In upcoming episodes Billy (Daniel Brocklebank) suggests they book a holiday and says he’ll pay for it. Paul tries to seem enthusiastic but secretly he’s terrified as he has no idea how quickly his condition could develop. He calls his MND specialist hoping to get a firm decision as to whether he has MND or not, but he cancels the call as Billy appears.
‘He doesn’t want to tell people because 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,’ Peter told us. ‘He doesn’t want to worry people as well.’
But as the story continues we know that it will eventually lead to Paul’s early death, so he’s only putting off the inevitable time when he’ll have to share his prognosis with the people who love him the most.
‘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,’ Peter said.
Coronation Street worked closely with the MND Association on this story and you can find information and support on motor neurone disease by heading to the MND Association’s website.
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