Soap’s MND storyline ‘shows love’ for Rob Burrow

Rob and Lindsey Burrow met actors Daniel Brocklebank and Peter Ash when they visited the Coronation Street set last year

An episode of Coronation Street dedicated to Rob Burrow “shows how loved he’s been”, according to friend and former teammate Kevin Sinfield.

A special episode of the ITV soap will air later, with character Paul Foreman, who has motor neurone disease (MND), spending his final day out with his husband as his condition worsens.

Rugby league legend Burrow, who died on 2 June, dedicated his final years to fundraising to help those with the condition after he was diagnosed in 2019.

Charity the MND Association said the Coronation Street storyline was “hugely valuable” in raising awareness.

The soap has run a storyline following the impact of MND on builder Paul Foreman and his partner Billy Mayhew

The episode will see Foreman, played by Peter Ash, being told his stairlift is no longer safe to use, meaning he will become unable to get in and out of his flat.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Ash said he "wanted to portray it correctly".

“There was quite a lot of pressure, especially when it's something that real people live with in their life, so we just wanted to get that right really,” he said.

Daniel Brocklebank, who plays Foreman's husband and carer Billy Mayhew, revealed his grandfather died from MND 20 years ago.

“The research department, the writers, they've done an incredible job”, he said.

“I hope this episode will really highlight what it's like for somebody who lives with MND.”

Kevin Sinfield, pictured alongside Burrow in 2021, said it was "incredible" the soap had run the storyline

Burrow’s former Leeds Rhinos teammate Sinfield, who campaigned alongside him to raise awareness and funds for MND research, said: “It just shows how loved he’s been.

"He probably doesn’t quite understand the impact he had on everybody but for such an iconic soap to cover something like this is incredible."

He added: “We all want to find a cure, but however long that takes there’s still a job to do around people and how we look after people.

“The fact that Corrie are doing what they’re doing is great - it only raises more awareness on a disease that needs us.”

In a statement, Burrow’s father Geoff praised the cast and crew for a “very balanced storyline that reflects the struggles that MND sufferers and their loved ones are going through”.

The MND Association, which worked with producers, said the show’s creators were committed to “getting it right".

Richard Evans, the charity’s director of engagement, said: “You can’t overstate the amount of impact that things like the Coronation Street storyline have for people affected by MND.

“The more awareness there is, the more they feel able to live as full a life as possible, because people start to understand what they’re going through.”

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