Prince William has made a heartfelt gesture of support for the widow of rugby league legend Rob Burrow, three months after the inspirational campaigner's death. It has emerged that the Prince of Wales has written the foreword to a memoir by Lindsey Burrow about her life with the motor neurone disease (MND) campaigner. The book, titled Take Care: A Memoir of Love, Family & Never Giving Up, is due to be published next week.
William previously paid a personal tribute to Burrow, a Mirror Pride of Britain winner, following his death in June. The prince, who surprised Burrow and former teammate Kevin Sinfield by presenting them with their CBEs for services to MND awareness in January, said of Burrow: "He taught us 'in a world full of adversity, we must dare to dream'."
During a visit to Leeds earlier this year to meet the two former rugby league players, William also met Burrow's wife and was said to have been moved by how she handled such a difficult situation with strength and positivity. The memoir explores the resilience, personal sacrifice, and hope Lindsey exhibited while juggling her job as an NHS physiotherapist with round-the-clock care for Rob, who could not move or talk and could only eat with her assistance, while also raising their young family and raising awareness for MND.
William's meeting with Rob prior to his death also saw the prince share a joke with the former rugby league legend. The meeting came weeks after Rob's podcast Seven revealed William's nickname 'One Pint Willy', given by Mike Tindall. When William met Rob, he alluded to the nickname revelation, saying: "It was you who got the nicknames out of him - he apologised to me about that."
During the visit, William also spoke with Kevin and Rob about their days with Leeds Rhinos and chatted with families impacted by MND, as well as those raising funds for the Rob Burrow Centre for MND. The prince told Rob: "The most amount of thank yous and congratulations for all the inspirational work you've done Rob, you've been amazing and everyone's so proud of you."
