Coronation Street's Billy vows to stand by terrified Paul after cheating near-miss

Paul then almost made a big mistake when he ran into old flame Zac at the local hotel - but after a brief kiss, he turned the man down.

Zac later stole the £800 fundraising money, and when a hungover Paul woke in a hotel room, he realised that Zac had robbed him, then changed his phone number!

Paul returned home and attempted to carry on as normal - but when Billy looked into using the charity cash for a stairlift, and offered to bank the money, Paul snapped. His shame then rose to the surface, and he told Billy that he had nearly cheated on him the night before.

After explaining that he pulled away from Zac rather than take things any further, Paul confessed that Zac had stolen the hard-earned charity money. Billy was speechless and furious, and walked out of the flat.

When Paul told Bernie what had happened, she marched him back to the hotel, where they informed horrified owner Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) that her plumber, Zac, was a thief - but there was still no way to contact him.

Later, at the Rovers, Zac walked in and Bernie locked the doors to confront him. But Zac had heard about Paul's illness, so returned the money.

At twin sister Gemma Brown's (Dolly-Rose Campbell), she and Paul had a heart-to-heart, where he could see that she was also struggling. She persuaded Paul to face Billy and be honest about what he was going through, while Paul urged her to do the same with her husband Chesney (Sam Aston).

Billy, meanwhile, vented to Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) over Paul's betrayal. While she didn't condone Paul's actions, she urged Billy to try and understand what had led to it and to try and forgive Paul.

Once home, Paul and Billy had a frank conversation, as Paul insisted that he wouldn't do anything to hurt him again. Billy then listened as Paul revealed just how much he was struggling with his MND, and how he felt powerless.

Billy apologised for the recent tension with Bernie, and the pair agreed to put Paul's mistake behind them. Paul admitted how scared he was, and Billy vowed he was here to stay. Can they move on from recent events?

For information and support on all aspects of motor neurone disease, visit the MND Association's website or call the charity on 0808 802 6262.

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