Fans are already aware that the head teacher is hiding something following a recent fall at the hospital. However, Patrick will reveal his illness to secretary, Theresa McQueen.
‘Patrick recognises his symptoms of MND but he is in denial, having seen his father deteriorate and die of the same illness he is unable and unwilling to fully accept the truth. He endeavours to keep his diagnosis secret, as admitting the truth could jeopardise his chance of getting full custody of his beloved baby daughter, Minnie. For Patrick, the idea of not being in control, of relinquishing his power is unthinkable and it will be interesting to see how the man who needs to control everything and everyone in his life copes with something that he cannot influence,’ said Jeremy Sheffield.
The storyline will make Hollyoaks the first soap to portray a main character living with the incurable disease, of which, Sally Light, Chief Executive from the MND Association, said in a statement: ‘It’s been a great year for raising awareness of motor neurone disease. Following on from the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge last summer and the film release of The Theory of Everything, I’m sure that Hollyoaks will show the reality of living with MND on the small screen too. Hollyoaks is well-known for successfully tackling issue-led storylines and we have every faith that Patrick’s battle against MND will be no exception. We were delighted to be approached to help and staff from our specialist MND Care Clinic in Oxford are supporting the writers and actors.’
Jeremy Sheffield added: ‘I’m honoured to have been involved in some of the shows biggest storylines over the last couple of years. I hope Patrick’s upcoming journey will captivate people’s hearts and minds. Working with the Motor Neurone Disease Association has proved invaluable for researching this role.’