ITV Coronation Street's Peter Ash admits to 'mixed feelings' about Paul's diagnosis as he discovers co-star heartbreak

Coronation Street star Peter Ash has admitted that he had 'mixed feelings' about his latest storyline in which his character will receive the news he has motor neurone disease. The devastating, life-limiting diagnosis will be confirmed in scenes to air the ITV soap next month and comes after the character's struggles since a road accident.

Fans have been concerned for Paul ever since he was accidentally knocked over by Carla Connor in her Underworld van after unknowingly being drugged with LSD by Stephen Reid. Trips to the GP saw the builder told he has nerve damage that may take time to heal and was signed off work.

However, in the meantime, things haven't been getting better for Paul and soon he'll start to notice other issues with balance, mobility and dexterity and during scenes to air on Friday night (March 24), Paul will be referred to a specialist before, in early April, he is given the devastating news that it is very likely he has MND.

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The diagnosis will then be confirmed later in the month. MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work. MND does not usually affect the senses such as sight, sound and feeling but it can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe.

Viewers will see Paul keeping the diagnosis from his partner Billy Mayhew and his family, confiding only in his flatmate Dee Dee Bailey. The storyline will then follow the progression of the disease as Paul initially deals with the illness alone and eventually has to break the news to his