Coronation Street actor Peter Ash has "mixed feelings" over his exit as his character is diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.
Paul Foreman will be diagnosed with MND by doctors, who have called for more tests after seeing him struggling after he was accidentally ran over by Carla Connor. Next month, Paul will be given the heartbreaking diagnosis that he has MND and that his life going forward will be limited as he struggles with the news and keeps it hidden.
The diagnosis will eventually lead to Paul's death and it will mean an exit for actor Peter, something which he is conflicted about.
Peter explained to The Mirror and other press: "I was called into the producer's office late last year, and he said we've got this very big storyline for you, which will be a great thing to do, but it will mean an eventual exit. I had mixed feelings obviously.
"I'll be sad to leave the show. It's an amazing job, I've met fantastic people. I'll be sad to leave but at the same time, I'm quite happy to be involved in such a powerful storyline which will hopefully bring awareness to it. It's a double edged sword."
It was confirmed the storyline will go on for months, rather than weeks, but Paul will initially keep things a secret from everyone before eventually confiding in his friend Dee Dee. It is expected to be weeks until his partner Billy finds out, before the wider residents learn of the diagnosis and support Paul in his diagnosis going forward.
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."
He added: "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."
