Coronation Street star Daniel Brocklebank revealed he had an emotional moment on set.
The actor, who plays Billy Mayhew on the soap, is currently at the centre of a motor neurone disease storyline, which has seen Billy’s husband Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) diagnosed with the condition.
Daniel has a personal connection to Paul’s storyline, as his grandfather was also diagnosed with MND in real life, admitting it had been “the most difficult one for me to play, purely because it’s so close to my own lived experience”.
Speaking about reliving that personal connection onscreen, he said: ‘I have to be honest, I think this has probably been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to play in my entire career because it is a lived experience.
‘This is something we’ve gone through as a family. The writing team, storyliners and the research department have been so thorough, and they have got this so right. And you team that with Pete’s utterly, unbelievably incredible performance, and it is almost like going through it again for a second time. I mean, there’s been times I burst into tears on set during the filming of this episode.’
He added: ‘There was one day I got in the car after work, and I just burst into tears. Pete and I have been living in an emotional state now with this storyline, and obviously because we have played it out in real time, and seeing Pete in that condition is so emotional to play.
‘Pete’s performance, his attention to detail has been incredible, I’m hoping that he wins all the awards, he deserves it so much. When I got home yesterday, I was talking about what we have played it out in real time, and seeing Pete in that condition is so emotional to play.’
Recent weeks have seen Paul’s condition worsen, while recent pictures from location have suggested the two characters will renew their vows in upcoming scenes, after they were spotted filming scenes at a church.
Previously speaking about the heartbreaking storyline, Daniel said: ‘The writing and research teams have been so brilliantly accurate with the way they have portrayed Paul’s illness and Billy caring for him, it’s certainly made me revisit things me and my family went through while caring for my grandfather.’
