Paul Foreman will die in tragic scenes on Coronation Street, with the heartbreaking moment sent to air sooner than fans might think

Paul Foreman actor Peter Ash will make a sad exit from Coronation Street soon in heartbreaking scenes.

The fan favourite character has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, meaning Peter will be making an exit from the Cobbles eventually. He explained that he had “mixed feelings” about leaving the show, as he felt lucky to be portraying such an important story but admitted he felt sad about having to leave the ITV show.

Speaking about his eventual exit, Peter explained to The Mirror and other press: “I was called into the producer’s office late last year, and he said we’ve got this very big storyline for you, which will be a great thing to do, but it will mean an eventual exit. I had mixed feelings obviously. I’ll be sad to leave the show. It’s an amazing job, I’ve met fantastic people. I’ll be sad to leave but at the same time, I’m quite happy to be involved in such a powerful storyline which will hopefully bring awareness to it. It’s a double edged sword.”

Producer Iain Macleod added at the time of the big storyline, which was expected to go on for months not weeks: “Motor Neurone Disease is something that many people might have heard of but perhaps don’t know a lot about, even given the recent cases of public figures talking about their experiences of living with the condition.

“A show like Coronation Street is uniquely placed to show the day-to-day reality of dealing with an illness that gradually and progressively erodes the physical attributes that you perhaps take for granted, changing forever the way you interact with the world around you. At first, Paul – who as a builder, relies entirely on his physicality for his livelihood – will massively go off the rails in a misplaced bid to ensure he isn’t a burden on his loved ones. But in the end, they will be the ones to put him back together emotionally. We are committed to portraying in a long-term, sensitive way the effects of this condition on Paul and his family and friends, not shying away from the sometimes painful reality of what his life will be like.”

He added: “We have been privileged to work with the Motor Neurone Disease Association – including talking to people who have the condition and their families – to ensure we do justice to people’s real-life experiences.”

Last Christmas, Paul celebrated what was believed to be his final Christmas with his family, so it is expected that Paul will pass away in the next few months before the end of 2024 is up, although an exit date is yet to be confirmed for Peter.