Lindsey and Rob Burrow's moving love story from teen sweethearts to strict rule

01 February 2024 , 18:30

558     0

Lindsey vowed to be there in sickness and in health - and she has (Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

Lindsey and Rob Burrow's relationship has stood the test of time - overcoming the hardest and most heartbreaking of challenges.

The couple met when they were just 15 and Lindsey fell Rob, who was 5ft 4ins - even though her dad told her to marry someone tall. They had many happy years together with Rob becoming a Rugby League champion and garnering Leeds Rhinos fans. The sportsman said he was "just a lad from Yorkshire who had a dream of playing rugby".

And Lindsey has supported him through it all - from his stardom to his life-shattering diagnosis of motor neurone disease. In 2019, the athlete was diagnosed with the condition and given two years at most to live. Lindsey has not left his side, and tonight, she features in an ITV documentary, Lindsey Burrow: Who Cares for Our Carers?, discussing their hardest times.

Rob and Lindsey pictured back in 2002

The couple have been married for 18 years and have three children together, Macy, 11, Maya, eight, and Jackson, four. When Rob was first told he had MND in December 2019, his initial instinct was to see if wife Lindsey was OK.

"MND is not the worst thing in the world - your kids getting poorly is the worst thing. I'm not trying to portray myself as a hero, because any man would gladly take any pain from their wife and kids and give it to himself," he said in 2020 when his documentary, Rob Burrow: My Year With MND, aired on BBC.

Kevin Sinfield goes extra mile for MND sufferers as he brings hope to Rob Burrow

The next hurdle they faced was telling their kids about their dad's condition - but as with everything in life, Rob recalls what could have been a harrowing conversation with humour. "Me and Lindsey always said we'd be honest to make sure our kids trust us. So we told them the next day," he told the Mirror.

"We sat them down and said, 'We've got something to tell you. Daddy's not very well, but he's got a lot of really good people looking after him'. And Maya said, 'Why are you telling us this? It's boring!'. So we all started laughing - it was the best thing ever."

Rob confessed that he found it difficult to get his head around his future, but after meeting with Scottish rugby union international Doddie Weir, who had been living with MND for over five years, he had a new perspective - to ride the wave with laughter.

"Meeting Doddie changed everything. I saw how happy and jokey he was, how he took the mick out of everyone around him. And I thought, 'I want to be my own version of that'," Rob explained. "So when I came home, me and my wife Lindsey decided we'd have a no-cry policy at home. Because when I see Lindsey upset, I get upset. And neither of us want the kids to be upset."

Lindsey has stood by Rob's side through everything (PA)

They have a 'no tears' policy at home for their three kids

The pair of them vowed to love each other no matter what almost two decades ago - and Lindsey has proven that in recent years. Rob said: "I could not ask for a better help than my beautiful wife Lindsey. I know when you get married you say that you will be there in sickness and in health. I did not think she signed up to look after me so soon. She is my very own superhero and I could not be alive without her help with everything. I love her so much."

Since his diagnosis, MBE Rob has written a book and allowed documentary film crews into his home, securing a National Television Award nomination. He even completed the Leeds Marathon with Kevin, his friend carrying him over the finish line.

"People now know what MND is," Lindsey said. "This is so people no longer have to explain. And it is about giving hope to families who have little. You are given bleak statistics, we want to bring change, more funding and research."

Rob has a 'no tears policy' and Lindsey and the children follow suit. He explained: "I am amazed by Lindsey every day. It can be a very dark and lonely place at times but Lindsey always makes me feel like we are carrying on in the most normal way we can possibly manage. She is stronger than any rugby hero I have ever played alongside and I'm so lucky to have her."

• Lindsey Burrow: Who Cares for Our Carers? airs on ITV1 at 8.30pm tonight.

Nia Dalton