Coronation Street star Daniel Brocklebank has praised co-star Peter Ash for doing "a truly stellar job" as his character Paul battles Motor Neurone Disease.
Earlier this year Paul learned the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with the life-limiting condition, which progressively shuts down parts of the body and eventually results in death.
With time no longer his friend, Paul has got engaged to Billy (Brocklebank) and is trying to live his life to the fullest while he is still able.
"It's been obviously quite emotional," said Brocklebank of the storyline. "I am really starting to notice the progression too. I watched it the other night when I got home after filming some scenes coming up where Paul can't get up the stairs. On screen Billy and Paul had just got back from their honeymoon and the physical deterioration between Paul then and what we had been filming that day was massive.
"Peter is doing a truly stellar job, he really is. His attention to detail with it and his commitment to it is incredible. It's obviously painful to watch, it's horrible."
Brocklebank, whose own grandfather suffered from MND, went on to describe the public's reaction to the storyline as "phenomenal".
"A lady stopped me in the street a few weeks ago, it was it was the third anniversary of her husband's death from MND," he recalled.
"She stopped me in the street and she said, 'I'm just so thrilled that Corrie are covering this'. She said they felt very much isolated by this illness and I obviously understand that statement having gone through it myself with my grandfather."
He continued: "For us to be able to highlight it in not only a sensitive way, but also sometimes in a humorous way is fantastic. There is humour in the darkness as well because I think when you are living with a terminal diagnosis, you don't spend your whole day just focusing on that diagnosis.
"You do try to live in the moment, especially with MND, because you might wake up one morning and you walk fine and then by lunchtime, your right leg has given way and never comes back again. So I think living in that moment is vital and we are showing that too."
Coronation Street continues Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Neil Wilkes
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