SOAP TRAGEDY
Coronation Street fans in tears as Paul Foreman dies in heartbreaking scenes
Paul’s health has been rapidly deteriorating over recent months
TRAGEDY has struck Weatherfield as Paul Foreman dies in heartbreaking scenes, leaving Coronation Street fans in tears.
Paul (Peter Ash) has been battling motor neuron disease (MND) - a rare condition which affects the brain and nerves.
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The character uses a wheelchair and requires the assistance of a carer in order to fulfil his daily needs. Paul has also found comfort in pre-recording elements of his voice on his tablet for when he can no longer speak himself.
His health has worsened over recent weeks, as he was told his condition was terminal. Paul’s family were told when the worst happens it will happen quickly and they hoped he would pass away peacefully in his sleep.
However, during Monday’s (9 September) episode of Coronation Street, Paul becomes distressed as he struggles to breathe.
Thankfully, Summer (Harriet Bibby) and Bernie (Jane Hazelgrove) are there and immediately notice what was going on and call for an ambulance.
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But Paul’s husband Billy (Daniel Brocklebank), who is hungover from a big night out, is off retracing his steps from the previous night as he searches for his missing phone.
Unable to get a hold of Billy, Bernie and Summer fear he won’t be back in time to say goodbye to Paul, who is calling out for Billy.
Paul continues breathing long enough to get in the ambulance, which is delayed for fifteen minutes, and is then rushed to the hospital with Bernie, Summer and Gemma (Dolly Rose Campbell) in tow.
Eventually, Paul’s half-brother Kit (Jacob Roberts) is able to track Billy down and fill him in on what was happening.
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Terrified, Billy tries to head for the hospital but is blocked in by an accident.
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When he receives a call from Bernie on his new phone, he realises this is his last chance to say goodbye to his husband and sets off running to the hospital.
As Summer, Gemma and Bernie all say their goodbyes to Paul at the hospital, Billy races against the clock to make it in time.
But as Paul starts to slip away, Bernie realises Billy isn’t going to make it and calls him so he could speak to him over the phone.
In heartbreaking scenes, Paul stops breathing before Billy gets a chance to speak, but rather than tell him the truth, Bernie lets him speak and tells him Paul is listening.
Most devastating soap deaths
SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust.
Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years.
EASTENDERS
Barry Evans - Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying.
Her plan to inherit Barry’s fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files.
Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was “fake”.
Bradley Branning - Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater’s rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died.
He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape.
Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death.
CORONATION STREET
Tina McIntyre - Tina was getting it on with Peter Barlow - despite him being married to Carla Connor.
When she threatened to reveal the truth, Carla's brother Rob got into a physical altercation with her.
Tina lost her footing and fell off a balcony - then warned Rob she was going to tell the cops he pushed her.
In a panic, Rob brutally clobbered her over the head with a metal pipe.
Molly Dobbs - Molly was one of the victims in Corrie's 2010 tram crash, alongside Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold).
Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death.
This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth.
As fate would have it, Kevin's wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly's side in her final moments.
Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack's father, before dying of her injuries.
Vera Duckworth - Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character.
Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap's most beloved couples.
Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair.
Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey's exit as Jack.
EMMERDALE
Sarah Sugden - After the family got into financial problems, Sarah's son Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) decided to make some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn.
He didn't realise his mum was inside the building, and she got trapped in the blaze.
Nine villagers - The shocking 1993 plane crash episode brought in 18 million viewers for Emmerdale.
Mark Hughes was killed by a falling wall, Archie Brooks was burned by jet fuel, Elizabeth Pollard was killed by debris and newcomer Leonard Kempinski died in a car crash caused by the crash.
Five other non-recurring characters from the village also died.
HOLLYOAKS
Carmel McQueen - The talented singer died in shocking scenes when a train crashed into a her family's car.
Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble - but got stuck in it herself.
Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel.
“My beautiful husband, I’m sorry I’m not there yet,” he says as he tries to catch his breath.
He continues: “I love you Paul, and I am gonna miss you every day for the rest of my life. And even though I don’t say it, I would do this a million times over because being with you and loving you has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“You just hold on, I’m coming.”
Telling his husband to hang on, Billy then races to the hospital, only to see Summer, Bernie, Gemma and Chesney (Sam Aston) emotionally devastated in Paul’s hospital room.
Corrie fans were left sobbing at the emotional scenes.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one said: "Coronation street hitting me right in the heart tonight...what a storyline this has been."
Another said: "This storyline has been acted out so well by Peter Ash and the other actors, so sad for everyone experiencing this awful disease in real life."
"I can’t. Corrie you’ve broken my heart tonight," said a third.
While a fourth commented: "Oh god, that's traumatic. The phone call, pretending he hasn't already gone. Far too relatable for some of us."
Speaking of his emotional final scenes, Corrie star Peter admitted they were hard to film.
“It was quite hard to not get emotional during that scene where they’re all there giving all those beautiful goodbyes,” he told .
“I had to pretend to not hear it, pretty much. Especially when he does pass. It’s that thing of trying not to breathe at all, which gets a bit tricky after a while!
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“The scene in general was just beautiful. It was a really nice way to end it. I’m not going to give anything away apart from that, but it was great to have all the favourites there in my last scene,” he added.
The ITV soap will continue to deal with the aftermath of Paul’s death in upcoming episodes, including a funeral episode which was filmed earlier this summer.
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Coronation Street's 2024 shock exits
Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let's break down who's left the famous soap:
Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.
The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza's grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.
Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.
After being diagnosed last year, the fan favourite was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.
Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.
Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.
Though she struggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.
Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.
The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.
Simon's been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.
Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.
It looks likely she'll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.
Show stalwart Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw, is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.
Her character left the Street after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia.
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