Coronation Street's Paul Foreman, played by actor Peter Ash, has revealed to his family that he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) on the ITV soap.
The emotional scenes took place following his sister Gemma's wedding on Tuesday's half-hour episode where he explained that he will have around three years left to live "if he's lucky".
A heartbroken Gemma replied: "This isn't happening, no."
Bernie's reaction was one of anger when she accused her son of trying to ruin Gemma's wedding day.
It caused Paul to break down in tears as he admitted feeling horrible about his sister finding out this way.
When Bernie suggested Paul would have been "fine" without his recent car accident, he had to explain that the accident wasn't responsible for his hand no longer functioning, reports DigitalSpy.
"I'm slowly falling apart," he admitted to them. "I couldn't [tell you]. This day is supposed to be about Gemma, not me!"
Paul attempted to encourage his sister to put the bad news behind her and continue to enjoy her wedding but Chesney noticed something was off with his new wife when she burst into tears during their first dance 'Agadoo' by Black Lace.
Later on, Paul explained to Billy why he had to confess everything and put his cards on the table to his sister, with the vicar offering some support during such a heartbreaking time for the family.
"I'm so proud of you," Billy assured his partner, as Bernie later admitted to Billy she'd felt "awful" over the way she had reacted and lashed out, though she insisted the vicar could have warned her.
"It wasn't my place," he reminded her.
Paul then pulled Gemma back out onto the dance floor so they could have their own dance to 'Ain't No Mountain High' whilst Bernie and Billy watched on.
As guests left the party, Gemma and Paul shared the news with Chesney. Her brother and husband assured Gemma that they would work everything out to protect the kids from hearing the news as long as possible.
Gemma and Bernie encouraged Paul not to give up, and he promised to "give it [his] best shot" although sadly reminded the pair that there is no cure for MND.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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