Former Liverpool player Stephen Darby is living with motor neurone disease and his wife, former Lionesses captain Steph Houghton, has revealed that they still hope to become parents
Former England Women’s captain Steph Houghton has shared a heartbreaking update on her husband Stephen Darby’s battle with motor neurone disease. Ex-Liverpool player Darby was forced to retire from football in September 2018 after being diagnosed with the rare illness.
Darby, 36, had been married to Houghton for just three months when he was told the devastating news after experiencing symptoms of weakness in his arms. The debilitating disease has affected his brain and nervous system for six-and-a-half years, with his condition worsening in recent months.
Currently, there’s no cure for MND but there are treatments available that help to reduce the impacts on a person’s daily life. The MND Association say that the illness affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any time.
“We are so desperate for that cure, we are so desperate for money to be put into research to allow families to have that little bit of hope,” Houghton said.
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“How do you ever describe the changes that we’ve had as a family? It’s so hard to see your husband who had so much promise in his football career. To see that being taken away from him, but also the simple tasks that we take for granted – being able to walk, being able to have food, being able to get up the stairs.”
She added: “I’m not going to lie and I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I have the best days, because I don’t.”
Supporters Darby Rimmer MND Foundation will collectively walk 178 miles, starting at Wembley and passing 26 more football stadiums. The foundation was formed in 2019, as former Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers defender Darby joined up with British Forces veteran Chris Rimmer.
Despite the struggles of everyday life living with MND, he and Houghton believe that it’s ‘still possible’ to become parents. She explained how it’s been ‘so hard’ to watch her husband’s health deteriorate ahead of a charity walk this weekend to raise money for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.
Speaking to ITV, Houghton, who hung up her boots last year after a decade playing for Manchester City, revealed: “It was always a dream of ours to be parents one day and that’s still possible. It’s something that we’ll always continue to speak about. I love him to absolute bits, I know he’s as strong as ever. He’s willing to fight this for as long as possible.”
Darby shared a post on Instagram in In December 2023 showing he’d become more prone to serious injuries because he can no longer break a fall with his hands or arms due to the weakness in his muscles caused by MND. He raised £130,000 alongside Marcus Stewart – another ex-footballer who’s been diagnosed with MND – by completing a 178-mile charity march from Anfield to Valley Parade, the home of Bradford City, last year.
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