England rugby legend Lewis Moody reveals heartbreaking MND diagnosis

Former England rugby union captain Lewis Moody has revealed he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). The 47-year-old admits he is not yet ready to face up to the full implications of the diagnosis, which took the lives of fellow rugby stars Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow.

"There's something about looking the future in the face and not wanting to really process that at the minute," he told 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 part of England's iconic 2003 World Cup winning squad alongside the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Matt Dawson, Jason Robinson and Martin Johnson.

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He also enjoyed a decorated club career with Leicester, lifting multiple domestic and European trophies.

But he now faces the biggest battle of his life. Moody first noticed something wrong when feeling some weakness in his shoulder while at the gym.

He underwent physio but the problem did not go away, and a series of scans then revealed nerve damage in his brain and spinal cord by MND.

"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," he added.

"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 alongside his wife, Annie, Moody revealed his biggest worry is his family, including his sons Ethan and Dylan, aged 15 and 17 respectively.

"It's never me that I feel sad for," he said. "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 due to play 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 prevented from doing so by a knee injury.

Burrow died in June 2024 while Slater is now in a wheelchair and speaks with the aid 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]."

Moody made 71 appearances for England during a 10-year international career, helpong them to three Six Nations championships as well as the 2003 World Cup. He also went on the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.

He won the Premiership title seven times with Leicester and the European Cup twice and ended his career at Bath.