England rugby legend Lewis Moody diagnosed with motor neurone disease

“This has been incredibly hard to process and a huge shock to me and my family."

The 47-year-old won the Rugby World Cup in 2003, and has won multiple titles in both Europe and England with Leicester.

He revealed his diagnosis in a statement on social media: “I’m writing to share some tough news.

“I have recently been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

“This has been incredibly hard to process and a huge shock to me and my family."

He continued: “I feel fit and well in myself and I’m focused on staying positive, living life and dealing with the changes I will experience as they come.

“I am being well supported by my family, friends and medical professionals and I’m truly grateful to those who, in their time, helped progress research to support others, like me, living with this disease.

“Since retiring from the sport I love, and alongside my wife Annie, I’ve been able to dedicate much of the past 12 years to fundraising for The Lewis Moody Foundation in support of those affected by brain tumours.”

In an interview with the BBC, Moody opened up about his MND diagnosis.

"There's something about looking the future in the face and not wanting to really process that at the minute," he said.

"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."

He said he first noticed weakness in his shoulder while in the gym, and that led to the discovery of the MND diagnosis.

After physiotherapy failed to help, a series of scans showed that MND had damaged nerves in his brain and spinal cord.

"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."

MND is a disease that can progress quickly, with the MND Association charity saying the disease kills a third of sufferers within a year, and more than half after two years.

Treatment can only slow progress of the disease.

"It's never me that I feel sad for," Moody said.

"It's the sadness around having to tell my mum - as an only child - and the implications that has for her."