Paul Foreman is left reeling on Coronation Street next week as he is officially diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.
The labourer was knocked down by Carla's van a few weeks ago, but his recovery wasn't going to plan and doctors ordered more tests to see if there was anything untoward that might explain his struggles to heal. The doctor had then suggested they were going to get Paul tested for MND, leaving him reeling at the possibility.
On the ITV soap next week, Paul is accompanied to the doctor's appointment by Dee-Dee Bailey, the only one who currently knows about the possibility of him being diagnosed with the condition.
The appointment with the specialist leaves Paul reeling, as they confirm he does have Motor Neurone Disease. Both of them are left shocked by the diagnosis, as Dee-Dee implores Paul to tell Billy and his family what's going on.
He's torn, will he go through with telling them - or will he keep things between him and Dee-Dee for now?
Actor Peter Ash previously admitted he had "mixed feelings" about his exit from the soap, knowing that the MND diagnosis will shorten his character's life and sadly eventually lead to his passing.
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's not yet been revealed how long he'll be on the Cobbles for, but the storyline will be spread across months and months.
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.
"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."
