Two Coronation Street legends may leave next week as Paul Foreman’s health continues to fatally deteriorate.
Actor Peter Ash was announced to be on his way out of the ITV soap, after six years in Weatherfield, and his latest storyline has left multiple Coronation Street fans in tears as he struggles with motor neurone disease.
The beloved builder has been progressively losing control of his bodily functions and has recently relied on a speaking machine to communicate with his loved ones, including his overwhelmed husband Billy Mayhew (portrayed by Daniel Brocklebank).
Billy and Paul made history on the Manchester-based programme as they became the first gay couple to tie the knot on the show. But as Paul’s heart-breaking exit looms, Billy’s may also be on the cards.
Billy Mayhew panics next week as he desperately tries to reach Paul before it’s too late
Coming up, the Weatherfield vicar faces a brutal hangover next week, after letting his hair down with David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) but his complaints make way for panic to take over when he realises that he has lost his phone, which contains memories and photos he refuses to part with.
Retracing his steps, Billy’s quest is interrupted by horrified Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) and Bernie Winter(Jane Hazlegrove) who find Paul unresponsive on the sofa and struggling to breathe.
As he and viewers at home were informed throughout the storyline, Paul’s neurological condition eventually triggers respiratory failure as it causes muscle weakness which only gets worse over time.
Panicked Summer calls an ambulance, realising that Billy has left Paul at the worst possible time. But with no way of contacting Billy, the teen and Bernie are left to their own devices to keep Paul alive. Will Billy get a final goodbye with his husband? Or will he be too late?
While this remains to be seen, tensions run high later on in Coronation Street as the family grieve the loss of Paul. Billy wakes up devastated on the sofa, staring at Paul’s empty wheelchair as the reality of a life without his other half slowly dawns on him. The family struggle to get along in the wake of Paul’s death next week, but will it be enough for Billy to leave the cobbles altogether?
Speaking about his upcoming exit, Peter Ash said: “It was absolutely emotional. It was very hard not to reach when they’re saying their goodbyes and I’m pretending to be on the way out.”
While we’ll have to wait to see whether Billy makes it to Paul in time to say goodbye, Peter admits that he hasn’t processed his own farewell to the Corrie character. “I don’t think it has properly hit me yet and I don’t think it will until I see the final episode – it just feels like I’ve had a long break”, he added. “I will grieve myself when it sinks in. That’s it – I’m not going to see Paul again. I’m dreading it. It has been an amazing ride.”
