Paul (Peter Ash) was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) last year. In recent months, he has been struggling more with speech and has required round-the-clock care.

Last week, he was dealt a devastating blow when a nurse told him that it was no longer safe for him to use the stairlift to leave the flat.

And on Friday (July 26) the soap aired a special episode dedicated to him that showed viewers the reality of living with the devastating MND.

The instalment focused entirely on a day in the life of Paul and husband Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) enjoying a special day together.

As Paul is set to become housebound, Billy took Paul out one last time and visited special places to them, including the church that they tied the knot in.

However, things took a heartbreaking turn, when realising his speech was getting worse, told Billy it was time for him to end his life. Heartbroken at first, Billy went ahead to do what Paul asked.

The moment was interrupted though, by Chesney (Sam Aston) who had called round following a family emergency. Due to one of his kids suffering an accident, he needed Billy and Paul to look after his other children for the night.

The uncles agreed, and the children slept over, halting Paul’s plan. The morning after though, Paul revealed he didn’t want to go through with it just yet, leaving Billy relived.

And it’s fair to say fans were left emotional watching the special episode. On X, formerly known as Twitter, one person said: “Corrie is so sad tonight. I’m balling here.”

Someone else added: “Watched the episode with tears in my eyes the whole time.” A third penned: “I’ve just watched it too one of the saddest episodes I’ve ever watched in a soap.”

Another person proclaimed: “This episode is making me cry. Paul’s storyline is just so heartbreaking Bravo to the cast.” A fifth said: “Such a hard watch, proper heart-wrenching.”