“It’s a bit of a double edged sword”
Coronation Street’s Peter Ash has opened up on his “tough” departure from the soap, with his character Paul Foreman now deteriorating fast in his struggle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Speaking at the RadioTimes.com Soap Awards, sponsored by Inspired Villages, Ash shared his experiences in the exclusive video interview you can see above.
At the ceremony, Ash and the Corrie team picked up the award for Best Storyline, specifically for Paul’s motor neurone disease diagnosis.
Asked if he’s starting to feel sad about saying goodbye to Paul, Ash told RadioTimes.com: “Absolutely, yeah, it’s a bit of a double edged sword, you know? Really sad to go, but like, really grateful that they trusted me with this storyline. So, some mixed emotions about leaving.
Ash has been working closely with Daniel Brocklebank (who plays Billy) on the story, because Brocklebank’s grandfather passed away from MND.
Ash said in the interview above: “Working with Daniel from day one has been amazing. We have so much fun. And yeah, obviously because he has a personal connection to MND, he’s a great source of information and insight. And I’ll very much miss working with him.”
Prior to the awards in a longer interview, Ash praised the writing team for this storyline. He said: “Despite it being so horrific, Corrie have managed to write in moments of levity and humour that you have in real life.
“You make light of the awful things you’re going through and the audience has responded to that, families living through a similar situation have picked out those little human moments or jokey lines. It’s made me realise we are getting this right.”
Stay tuned to our website for more RadioTimes.com Soap Awards news.
Read more:
- EastEnders’ Balvinder Sopal teases big drama for Suki, Eve and the ‘dysfunctional’ Panesars
- Coronation Street’s Peter Ash on how Rob Burrow inspired Paul’s heartbreaking MND storyline
- Hollyoaks’ Kieron Richardson reveals Ste’s darkest moment and dramatic future ahead
- Emmerdale’s Lucy Pargeter on how cancer changed Chas and her take on Belle and Tom’s storyline
The RadioTimes.com Soap Awards 2024, sponsored by Inspired Villages, took place on 13th July. Find out more about the nominees!
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