Former England captain Lewis Moody, 47, reveals MND diagnosis and vows to “embrace life now”

Former England rugby captain Lewis Moody has revealed he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), the same fatal condition that claimed the lives of fellow players Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow.

The 47-year-old, who helped England lift the 2003 Rugby World Cup, said he learned of the diagnosis just two weeks ago and is still struggling to come to terms with it.

“There’s something about looking the future in the face and not wanting to really process that at the minute,” Moody told BBC Breakfast.

“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.”

Sitting alongside his wife Annie, Moody said he is trying to focus on his immediate wellbeing and spending precious time with his family — including his teenage sons, Dylan and Ethan.

He said the symptoms first appeared as weakness in his shoulder while training. Physiotherapy didn’t help, and scans later confirmed the devastating cause: MND, a degenerative condition that attacks nerves in the brain and spinal cord.

“You’re given this diagnosis and we were rightly emotional about it,” he said. “It’s strange because I feel like nothing’s wrong. I don’t feel ill. My symptoms are minor – a bit of muscle wasting in my hand and shoulder. I’m still capable of doing anything and everything.”

The charity MND Association says the disease kills one in three people within a year of diagnosis, and over half within two years. There is currently no cure, and treatment only slows the decline.

Moody broke down as he described the pain of telling his mother and his sons the news.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” he said. “We sat on the couch in tears, Dylan and Ethan wrapped up in each other, then the dog jumped over and started licking the tears off our faces.”

Known throughout his career as Mad Dog for his relentless energy and fearlessness, Moody is now channelling that same grit to face an opponent he cannot tackle.

He says he draws inspiration from friends and fellow players Ed Slater, who also has MND, and the late Rob Burrow, whose courage in the face of the disease inspired the nation.

“It’s daunting because I love being active and embracing life,” Moody admitted. “It’s still so new. I only found out two weeks ago. I feel selfish that I haven’t reached out to Ed yet — but I will.”

Moody, who won 71 England caps and seven Premiership titles with Leicester Tigers, before finishing his career at Bath, said the news has forced him to appreciate the present moment.

“There’s no cure, so you have to be militantly focused on embracing everything now,” he said. “I’ve been lucky — when I retired, I decided to spend as much time with the kids as possible. We don’t get those years back.”

His eldest son Dylan, 17, is already making his own sporting name as a goalkeeper for Southampton and England Under-18s.

Former teammates Geordan Murphy and Leon Lloyd have launched a fundraising campaign to support Moody and his family, describing him as “brave, humble, and relentlessly positive.”

Moody said he knows many of his old teammates will be learning the news with the rest of the public.

“There will be a time when we’ll need to lean on their support, but right now just knowing they’re there is enough,” he said. “Rugby is such a great community.

“I’ve had an incredible life. Even if it ended now, I’ve enjoyed it all and got to do it with unbelievable people.”