Former Lioness captain Steph Houghton shares heartbreaking replace on her husband: ‘I am unable to faux that I’ve one of the best days’
Ex Lioness captain Steph Houghton has revealed that she and her husband, Stephen Darby, are still hopeful of becoming parents despite his battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Speaking to ITV News ahead of a charity walk this weekend to raise money for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, which funds research into the debilitating disease for which there is currently no cure, Houghton, 36, said watching her husband’s health deteriorate has been ‘so hard’.
She told the programme on Thursday: ‘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.’
Darby, also 36, who came through Liverpool‘s academy before going on to play for five other football clubs, was forced to retire from the game in September 2018 after being diagnosed with the rare condition.
The couple had been married for just three months when they were given the devastating news.
The former England Under-19 defender has lived with the debilitating disease that affects the brain and nerves for over six years, but his condition has worsened in recent months.
Describing how they’re still hopeful that they might yet become parents, the ex football star said: ‘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.’
Former Lioness captain Steph Houghton, 36, told ITV News this week it’s been ‘so hard’ watching her husband Stephen Darby, 36, as Motor Neurone Disease takes from him the things we take for granted
Parenthood: Houghton told ITV News that becoming parents was something the couple had both wanted and said that ‘it’s still possible’
Darby pictured during his playing days for Bradford City; he left the game after his diagnosis in 2018
Houghton, who retired from Manchester City in 2024, said watching the man she loves unable to do everyday tasks has been one of the hardest things.
She said: ‘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.’
This weekend, supporters of Darby Rimmer MND Foundation will collectively walk 178 miles, starting at Wembley and taking in 26 stadiums.
Houghton said: ‘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.’
According to the NHS, there is currently no cure for MND but there are treatments that help to reduce how it impacts a person’s daily life, with the MND Association stating that the illness affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any time.
It is a rare condition that affects the brain and nervous system, causing those diagnosed with the illness to suffer symptoms of weakness in their limbs, slurred speech and weight loss. It can affect adults of any age but is more likely to affect people over the age of 50.
Darby was first diagnosed after he experienced a weakness in his hand – including seeing it ‘fall off’ the steering wheel while he was driving and experiencing twitches in his arm.
Houghton told the programme on Thursday: ‘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.’
The ex Man City star said of her husband and his fight: ‘I love him to absolute bits, I know he’s as strong as ever’
The former Lioness captain is part of a team walking to 26 British football grounds this weekend to raise funds for ‘desperately needed research’ into the devastating disease
Darby began his career at Liverpool, and said they, and all the clubs he has played for, have been brilliant since his MND diagnosis
In November, Darby and Houghton made the decision that he would be fed by a tube to ensure his body receives the nutrients he needs
MND reality: In December 2023, Darby shared on Instagram how he was now more prone to serious injury because he can no longer break falls with his hands and arms because of the weakness caused by MND
Darby pictured with his wife at England and Germany as she attended a pre-game retirement ceremony at Wembley
After 18 months of testing, he was finally given the news that he had MND.
In November the footballer, who captained the Lionesses between 2014 and 2021, revealed Darby had been fitted with a feeding tube following a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy to help him get the necessary nutrients into his body to survive.
‘You want Stephen to be living a normal life as much as possible, to be able to eat as much food as he can and get that calorie intake on board,’ she told The Guardian.
‘Over the last few months it became a bit risky having food and that’s when the decision had to be made.
‘We need Stephen to keep weight on and to eat. It hasn’t been a great few months because these decisions are life-changing and it takes a lot of time to get used to. But ultimately it’s the best thing for him. It allows him to relax a bit more.
‘There are good and bad days but I think we’ve adapted really well over the last six years. It’s obviously a tough ride but I want to be honest about the actual process and spread awareness of the disease.’
In December 2023, in a post headed ‘A reality of MND’, Darby explained to his Instagram followers how the disease means he’s now prone to falls and can no longer break them.
He wrote: ‘As your body, arms and legs become weaker you are more susceptible to trips and falls. When you fall or trip you can’t use your arms to break your fall.’
Houghton pushes ex-footballer Darby in his wheelchair as they arrive at Anfield to complete the mammoth walk as they raise awareness over MND in March
Houghton has admitted it has been a difficult few months for her family as Darby now needs to be fed through a tube
The former sportsman added: ‘The falls aren’t nice and they also affect the family physically and emotionally who are left to pick you up and look after you.’
Darby said that with the support of his family he had learned to ‘adapt and overcome these obstacles’, saying: ‘You pick yourselves’ up and go again.
Houghton said it was vital to discuss the reality of living with MND and opened up about feeling a sense of injustice that her husband’s career was cut short against his will.
‘But the more you dwell on it, the more that it harms you,’ she added. ‘So I’ve learnt how important it is to be positive.’
Houghton and Darby married in June 2018, with the former Lioness previously revealing it was ‘love at first sight’.
The pair spoke about their relationship on a podcast presented by the late rugby league great Rob Burrow, who died in June following a battle with MND.
Houghton recalled that they first came together thanks to a meeting arranged by her agent.
She admitted that her first impression was that he ‘smelled amazing’, joking that he must have put ‘the whole bottle’ of aftershave on.
Darby, meanwhile, recalled buying new clothes before the meeting and only realised when he got home that he still had a sticky tag on the back of his trousers.
During the podcast, Houghton admitted she had ‘never heard of MND before Stephen got diagnosed’ and remembers asking ‘Why us?’ and feeling ‘upset and angry’.
Darby, who played for Swindon Town, Notts County, Rochdale, Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers before his career was cut short, has aimed to raise awareness of MND since his diagnosis.
He raised £130,000 alongside Marcus Stewart – another ex-footballer suffering from MND – by completing a 178-mile charity march from Anfield to Valley Parade last year.
He also encouraged Houghton to keep playing football, before she eventually hung her boots up at the end of last season.
Darby and Marcus Stewart (left) completed a charity march last year to raise awareness for MND
Houghton captained England for seven years and was encouraged to keep playing by Darby after his diagnosis
Houghton is now an ambassador for Manchester City, while she has also begun her coaching journey, worked as a pundit for Sky and started a podcast alongside Ian Wright.
Houghton admits to feeling guilt when she has to leave Darby behind for her work, but has hailed the support network the couple have in place that has helped them through such a difficult period.
‘When I’m going to games or having to stay overnight I feel a little guilty because I’m not with Stephen,’ Houghton added. ‘It takes a lot out of you emotionally.
‘These last few months have been challenging because you always have that worry in the back of your head if you’re not there and something happens. You just want it to be OK but I think we’re getting into more of a routine.
‘Our families have been absolutely unreal as we’ve got such a good support network. It allows me to do what I need to do and for Stephen to have the best possible care.’
Motor Neurone Disease (ALS): No known cure and half of sufferers live just three years after diagnosis
History
The NHS describes motor neurone disease (MND) as: ‘An uncommon condition that affects the brain and nerves. It causes weakness that gets worse over time.’
The weakness is caused by the deterioration of motor neurons, upper motor neurons that travel from the brain down the spinal cord, and lower motor neurons that spread out to the face, throat and limbs.
It was first discovered in 1865 by a French neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot, hence why MND is sometimes known as Charcot’s disease.
In the UK, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is referred to as Motor Neurone Disease, while in the US, ALS is referred to as a specific subset of MND, which is defined as a group of neurological disorders.
However, according to Oxford University Hospitals: ‘Nearly 90 per cent of patients with MND have the mixed ALS form of the disease, so that the terms MND and ALS are commonly used to mean the same thing.’
Symptoms
Weakness in the ankle or leg, which may manifest itself with trips or difficulty ascending stairs, and a weakness in the ability to grip things.
Slurred speech is an early symptom and may later worsen to include difficulty swallowing food.
Muscle cramps or twitches are also a symptom, as is weight loss due to leg and arm muscles growing thinner over time.
Diagnosis
MND is difficult to diagnose in its early stages because several conditions may cause similar symptoms. There is also no one test used to ascertain its presence.
However, the disease is usually diagnosed through a process of exclusion, whereby diseases that manifest similar symptoms to ALS are excluded.
Treatment
There is no cure for MND and the disease is fatal, however the disease progresses at different speeds in patients.
People with MND are expected to live two to five years after the symptoms first manifest, although 10 per cent of sufferers live at least 10 years.
Causes
The NHS says that MND is an ‘uncommon condition’ that predominantly affects older people. However, it caveats that it can affect adults of any age.
The NHS says that, as of yet, ‘it is not yet known why’ the disease happens. The ALS Association says that MND occurs throughout the world ‘with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries and can affect anyone’.
It says that war veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS and that men are 20 per cent more likely to get it.
Lou Gehrig was one of baseball’s preeminent stars while playing for the Yankees between 1923 and 1939. Known as ‘The Iron Horse,’ he played in 2,130 consecutive games before ALS forced him to retire. The record was broken by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995
Lou Gehrig’s Disease
As well as being known as ALS and Charcot’s disease, MND is frequently referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Lou Gehrig was a hugely popular baseball player, who played for the New York Yankees between 1923 and 1939.
He was famous for his strength and was nicknamed ‘The Iron Horse’.
His strength, popularity and fame transcended the sport of baseball and the condition adopted the name of the sportsman.
He died two years after his diagnosis.
