Former England rugby union captain Lewis Moody has shared the heartbreaking news that he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). The 47-year-old admits he is not yet ready to fully confront the implications of his diagnosis and said: “There’s something about looking the future in the face and not wanting to really process that at the minute,” during an interview with the BBC.
“It’s not that I don’t understand where it’s going. We understand that. But there is absolutely a reluctance to look the future in the face for now.” Moody was a key player in England’s legendary 2003 World Cup-winning squad alongside Jonny Wilkinson, Matt Dawson, Jason Robinson and Martin Johnson and now faces the biggest challenge of his life.
The former Leicester star, who enjoyed a successful club career lifting multiple domestic and European trophies, first noticed something was amiss when he experienced weakness in his shoulder while at the gym. Despite undergoing physiotherapy, the issue persisted, leading to a series of scans which revealed nerve damage in his brain and spinal cord caused by MND.
Reflecting on his diagnosis, Moody said: “You’re given this diagnosis of MND and we’re rightly quite emotional about it, but it’s so strange because I feel like nothing’s wrong. I don’t feel ill. I don’t feel unwell. My symptoms are very minor. I have a bit of muscle wasting in the hand and the shoulder.
“I’m still capable of doing anything and everything. And hopefully that will continue for as long as is possible.”
Speaking with his wife, Annie, by his side, Moody shared that his greatest concern is for his family, including his sons Ethan and Dylan, aged 15 and 17 respectively. “It’s never me that I feel sad for,” he confessed.
“It’s the sadness around having to tell my mum – as an only child – and the implications that has for her. It [telling his sons] was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. They are two brilliant boys and that was pretty heartbreaking.
“We sat on the couch in tears, Ethan and Dylan both wrapped up in each other, then the dog jumped over and started licking the tears off our faces, which was rather silly.”
Moody was scheduled to participate in the fundraising cross-code rugby match last autumn organised by Burrow and fellow rugby star Ed Slater, who also lives with MND, but was unable to due to a knee injury.
Burrow passed away in June 2024 while Slater now uses a wheelchair and communicates with the help of a computer. “It is daunting because I love being active and embracing life, whether it’s on the rugby pitch, watching the kids, whatever it is,” he added.
“There’s a lot of questions around what we need to put in place for the future. It’s still so new, I found out two weeks ago.
“I feel slightly selfish in a way that I’ve been reluctant to reach out to anyone, to Ed. But there will be a time when I can. And I would like to as well. If they’re watching – I’m not ready yet, but I absolutely will [be].”