Former England captain Lewis Moody has spoken about the physical changes he is experiencing with motor neurone disease while continuing to raise money and awareness for MND research.
The 48-year-old, who helped England win the 2003 Rugby World Cup, revealed his diagnosis in October 2025. He has since turned much of his attention towards supporting the MND community and funding research into the disease.
Moody has described a gradual loss of strength since his diagnosis. Weakness in his shoulder has increased, while muscle wasting and reduced strength in his hand have provided further reminders of the condition.
Recent reporting has also detailed how Moody chose not to play in a charity cricket match at Somerset because of the physical effect MND is now having on him. He instead attended the event as rugby and cricket figures came together to support fundraising for the disease.
His approach remains centred on what he can still do rather than attempting to predict how quickly the disease will progress.
Moody adjusts to physical changes
Moody’s first noticeable problem was weakness in his shoulder. That eventually led to scans, further tests and his diagnosis.
He later explained that the shoulder had become weaker, although his specialist believed his progression appeared slow. Moody has also experienced wasting in his hand and reduced strength in his fingers.
Those changes have forced him to adapt activities that once came naturally.
During training, he now alters exercises or reduces weights when particular movements become difficult. He has also spoken openly about the mental impact when he notices a new loss of strength.
In an interview published by Sky Sports, Moody said he remained focused on the things he could still do rather than concentrating on those becoming more difficult.
He has acknowledged difficult periods, but has tried to prevent them from dominating his daily life. His emphasis has instead been on family, friends and making practical decisions as his circumstances change.
For a former professional athlete who spent his career demanding more from his body, that adjustment represents a major change.
Moody built his reputation as an energetic and confrontational flanker. His ability to compete at the breakdown and willingness to put himself into physical contests became central to his game.
Now, managing effort and recognising physical limits have become equally important.
A 500-mile challenge for MND research
That did not prevent Moody from taking on one of his biggest challenges since retiring.
In June, he completed a seven-day cycle ride of more than 500 miles from Newcastle to Twickenham in support of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
The route passed through places connected with his life and rugby career, including Oakham, Leicester, Bath and Bracknell.
Former teammates and other leading rugby figures joined him during different stages. Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson, Jason Robinson, Phil Vickery and Martin Corry were among those involved.
Moody crossed the finish line at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on 20 June alongside his wife Annie and sons Dylan and Ethan.
The challenge had raised more than £500,000 by the time the riders reached Twickenham, with subsequent fundraising continuing after the finish.
The money went towards the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which was established by former Scotland international Doddie Weir to fund research into MND.
For Moody, the ride carried significance beyond the fundraising total.
It brought together people from different stages of his career while allowing him to use rugby’s reach to place MND in front of a wider audience.
Rugby community continues its MND support
Moody’s diagnosis has renewed attention on the number of prominent rugby figures who have lived with MND.
Weir was diagnosed in 2016 and became one of Britain’s most recognisable MND campaigners before his death in November 2022.
Former Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain rugby league player Rob Burrow also became a major figure in MND awareness after receiving his diagnosis in 2019. He died in June 2024.
Burrow’s former Leeds teammate Sir Kevin Sinfield has since raised millions of pounds through endurance challenges supporting MND causes.
Former Gloucester and Leicester forward Ed Slater announced his own MND diagnosis in 2022. Moody has spent time with Slater and has said meeting him helped provide a more positive perspective on how to approach life with the disease.
That wider sporting connection has made MND an increasingly familiar subject for rugby supporters.
However, experts have cautioned against assuming rugby itself caused individual cases. Dr Nick Cole, head of research at the MND Association, has said there is no definitive evidence establishing a causal link between playing rugby and MND. Research into possible associations between professional sport, intense exercise and the disease continues.
World in Sport has also covered the wider relationship between sport and MND fundraising through The Big Freeze 12, one of several major sporting events used to raise awareness and research funding.
What is motor neurone disease?
Motor neurone disease is a progressive neurological condition that damages the nerves controlling voluntary movement.
As those motor neurones stop working, messages from the brain and spinal cord can no longer reach muscles effectively. This causes increasing weakness and muscle wasting.
MND can affect walking, movement, speech, swallowing and breathing. The pattern and speed of progression differ between individuals.
There is currently no cure, although treatments, equipment and specialist support can help manage symptoms and maintain quality of life.
The MND Association says more than 5,000 adults in the UK are living with the disease at any one time. A person’s lifetime risk of developing MND is around one in 300.
More information about symptoms and support is available through the MND Association’s guide to motor neurone disease.
For Moody, one important lesson since his diagnosis has been the unpredictability of the condition.
There is no single path that applies to everyone with MND. Symptoms can develop differently, while the rate of progression can also vary significantly.
That uncertainty has influenced how he approaches both his health and his campaigning.
A World Cup winner facing a different challenge
Moody’s place in English rugby history was secured long before his diagnosis.
He won 71 England caps between 2001 and 2011 and played in every match of England’s victorious 2003 World Cup campaign.
In the final against Australia, Moody came off the bench and won the line-out that preceded Jonny Wilkinson’s match-winning drop goal in extra time.
He later captained England and represented the British and Irish Lions.
At club level, Moody spent 14 years with Leicester Tigers before moving to Bath in 2010. During his Leicester career, he won seven Premiership titles and two European Cups. Injuries eventually brought his playing career to an end in 2012.
Those achievements explain why his diagnosis has resonated so strongly across rugby.
Yet Moody’s focus has increasingly shifted away from his own playing career.
Fundraising has given him a practical target at a time when MND has removed some of the certainty he once had over what his body could do.
Moody focuses on research and awareness
Moody has made clear that he aims to use his profile while he remains physically able to do so.
The cycle challenge was a major part of that work, but it has not ended there.
He has continued to appear at fundraising events and speak publicly about living with MND. Recent reports have also indicated plans for further fundraising projects alongside documentary and book work connected with his experience.
His message has increasingly focused on the need to accelerate research rather than accept the present limits of treatment.
There is inevitably a personal element to that urgency.
Moody has spoken about changes in his strength that can appear in seemingly ordinary situations. Opening something, holding cutlery or completing a familiar exercise can now highlight a difference that did not exist before.
Those moments underline the progression of the disease without defining every part of his life.
He continues to spend time with his family, maintain connections with former teammates and use the sporting community around him to support MND fundraising.
The competitive instincts that once took him through World Cup finals and some of English rugby’s toughest club matches now have a different target.
The outcome Moody wants is no longer measured on a scoreboard. It is progress towards better treatment, greater support and, ultimately, a future in which an MND diagnosis carries more options than it does today.
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