Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) made another upsetting discovery about his deteriorating health in Coronation Street.
Paul, who has motor neurone disease, is aware the illness will eventually take over his entire body, but reaching different milestones such as being unable to walk properly obviously doesn’t get any easier.
The beloved character headed to the pub in tonight’s (March 22) episode of the ITV soap for karaoke with his friends and family.
When Paul and Billy (Daniel Brocklebank) got up, they decided to sing Stand By Me. It was a touching rendition but after, when Paul asked to see the video Summer (Harriet Bibby) took, he was puzzled by how reluctant she was to play it back.
When she did, Paul realised his speech has started to slur significantly. He was heartbroken and wondered why his family didn’t say anything, but they tried to make him feel better by saying the change in his voice didn’t matter.
Back at home, during a chat with Gemma (Dolly-Rose Campbell), Paul was overwhelmed by the fact he may not be able to talk at all soon. Gemma, wanting to help, reminded Paul he has a device to help him communicate, and it might be a nice idea to record some more phrases while he’s still able to.
That evening, during a chat with Summer, Paul told her to go to America for university because it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Summer has been reluctant to accept the offer due to Paul’s condition, but he promised he won’t even think about ‘checking out’ while she’s gone.
As Summer headed off to bed, Paul shared another emotional moment with Billy. Earlier on in the episode, he broke down and admitted he struggles with the prospect of Paul ending his life because of the uncertainty surrounding it, and how it could just happen on any normal day.
With that, Paul came up with a plan.
When Oh Happy Day started playing on the speaker, Paul told Billy that he will play this song as a signal to him that he’s ready to go.
Billy thought Paul had picked it because of the irony, but he said the song reminds him of the happiest day of his life – their wedding.
He told his husband that it’ll be a happy day for him, because he will leave his pain behind, ready to ‘meet his maker’.
