Peter Ash, who portrays Paul Foreman on the ITV soap, has opened up about his upcoming exit as his storyline comes to an end and said filming his final scene was “emotional”
Coronation Street’s Peter Ash has spoken about the emotional departure from his role as Paul Foreman as his character’s poignant Motor Neurone Disease (MND) storyline comes to a close.
The 39-year-old actor, who has been a fixture on the cobbles, opened up to TV Times about his exit from the soap and the impact of his character, reports the Express.
In Coronation Street, Paul has been grappling with MND, supported by his husband Billy Mayhew, portrayed by Daniel Brocklebank, leading to a gradual loss of motor functions and speech.
As the storyline nears its end, Peter Ash shared that filming his final scene was an “emotional” experience. He described his last moments on set, saying: “It was quite an easy scene, technically, because I just had to lie there.”
“But it was emotional, and very hard not to react when the other characters were saying goodbye. I still don’t think it has properly hit me that I’ve left Corrie, and I don’t think it will until I watch the final episode.”
He also reflected on the aftermath of his character’s storyline, which continues to be explored on-screen: “Daniel (Brocklebank, who plays Billy) and the others have been filming the aftermath and the grieving, and I probably will grieve a bit myself when it sinks in.”
Looking ahead, Peter revealed his next venture will be playing the villain Abanazar in Aladdin at The Queen Elizabeth Hall in Oldham, marking a significant shift from his recent dramatic role.
He recalled that pantomime provided his initial stage experience as a child with a local theatre group. Peter made his debut on the Cobbles in 2018, and last year, his character was diagnosed with MND.
Viewers watched on as he began to struggle with his grip before seeking tests from a neurologist. As his condition worsened, Paul revealed his desire to decide when his life should end, with recent medical advice indicating that he doesn’t have much time left.
In September, reports surfaced that Peter felt “a lot of pressure” to accurately portray a character with MND.
Speaking exclusively to the Express and other media outlets, Peter said: “When Ian MacLeod [Coronation Street’s boss] first told me I’d be doing this, we had no idea of time scale, and also to what point we would take the deterioration of Paul.”
He further described it as an “issue-led story” and labelled it as “special”, explaining that it was “raising awareness for an amazing cause”.
