Rob Burrow BBC documentary: 'I'm a prisoner in my own body'

One of Great Britain's greatest rugby league players, Rob Burrow, is being helped into a swimming pool by his wife, Lindsey.

It is the only way that the former England, Great Britain and Leeds Rhinos player can manage to walk without suffering debilitating pain in his ts caused by Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

"I know when you get married you say, 'in sickness and in health'. I did not think she signed up to look after me so soon," he jokes.

In another scene, his mum, Irene, spoon-feeds him.

"I need my parents for everything. It's like I'm their kid again."

Burrow is characteristically jolly and cheeky throughout, joking with the camera crew as they document his life since his diagnosis for a new BBC documentary, 'Rob Burrow: Living With MND'.

But his demeanour makes his situation no less desperate.

In 2019, two years after retiring from a glittering 17-year career that saw him win eight Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups, Burrow was diagnosed with MND. It is a degenerative condition for which there is no cure.

In this heart-breaking 30-minute BBC Two film, viewers get unparalleled access to his life.

In the opening scenes, Burrow explains a little about MND.

"I'm a prisoner in my own body. The lights are on, but no-one's home. I think like you, but my mind doesn't work right. I can't move my body."

The 40-year-old has to speak via a computer, using recorded samples of his voice.

His consultant, Dr Agam Jung, calls MND "an extremely cruel condition," explaining: "You may not be able to speak, you may not be able to swallow, you may not be able to breathe independently, you have weakness in your arms and legs. This leads to dependency and a reduced life span."

While Burrow jokes with the doctors and tries to maintain a positive attitude, the question of end-of-life care hangs in the air.

"How do I have the conversation around death">