Corrie: Nurse tells Paul Foreman he can't leave the flat
Coronation Street’s Peter Ash has spoken out about his initial fears over the MND storyline.
The actor plays Paul Foreman on the cobbles - making his debut back in 2018. Fans will know that Paul’s time is running out, following his diagnosis of motor neurone disease last year - a first for the ITV soap.
Viewers of the ITV soap watched him start to struggle with his grip and he was eventually referred to a neurologist for tests. Due to the fact that there is no cure, Paul's demise is imminent - which left his family and friends heartbroken.
Sadly though, his speech and mobility deteriorated and earlier this year, Paul made the shock confession that he wants to make the choice when his life should come to an end.
Doctors have recently told him he doesn't have long left and in upcoming episodes, the moment will come when his family, including partner Billy Mayhew (played by Daniel Brocklebank) and mum Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove), must say their goodbyes.
READ MORE: Corrie fans 'work out' horror Stu Carpenter death – and local is responsible [SOAPS]
And now, ahead of Paul’s soap death, actor Peter has shared how there was “a lot of pressure” for him to get things right, portraying a character with MND.
Speaking exclusively to Express and other press, Peter said: “When Ian MacLeod [Coronation Street’s boss] first told me I’d be doing this we had no idea of time scale, and also to what point we would take the deterioration of Paul.”
The soap star was then quizzed whether he felt it was a responsibility to “get the physicality” right. He said: “Not just the physicality, every aspect of the storyline because so many people are unfortunately living with it.
READ MORE:
Coronation Street fans 'work out' icon's exit storyline after Beth's departure [SOAP]
Coronation Street double exit 'sealed' as fans 'work out' Joel's next victim [SOAP]
Coronation Street's Dee-Dee and DS Swain's next move to expose Joel exposed [SOAP]
“It’s something we have to get to right, we don’t want to misrepresent it at all, in honour of the people who have lost and are still living with it,” he added.
The actor went on: “So yeah it was a lot of pressure to get that right, and it’s just being aware I guess.”
Talking about how it felt playing Paul, Peter said: “I’ve never been involved in something like this. Like an issue-led story. It makes it special, you know that you’re raising awareness for an amazing cause. As far as I’m concerned that’s a job well done.”
