Latest news with #CorticobasalDegeneration
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Heartbreaking reality behind Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson's The Salt Path
The Salt Path stars Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson as a couple who embark on a 630-mile walk after suffering a number of life-changing setbacks - but is the new movie based on a true story? The new film, The Salt Path, narrates an extraordinary and uplifting tale about a couple who undertake a challenging journey after facing a series of severe hardships. Raynor and Moth Winn – portrayed in the film by Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs – found themselves homeless in the same week that Moth was diagnosed with a rare terminal illness, given a maximum of five years to live. Instead of succumbing to these adversities and surrendering, the duo decided to traverse the South West Coast Path, an experience that proved to be incredibly rejuvenating, as they encountered the generosity of strangers along their journey. Indeed, the film is based on the real-life story of the couple Raynor and Moth Winn, as recounted by Raynor in her memoir bearing the same title. It follows their 630-mile coastal journey along the South West Coast Path after being evicted from the farm they called home. In the same week they found themselves without a roof over their heads in August 2013, Moth was dealt a devastating blow with a terminal diagnosis of Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD). Raynor, upon discovering a Southwest Coast Path guidebook, felt it was their final shot at freedom. Despite Moth's health deteriorating each day at the outset of their journey, his condition remarkably began to improve as they continued their walk – and astonishingly, he's still with us over a decade later, having been given no more than five years to live at the time of his diagnosis. The screenplay, penned by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, remains faithful to the true events of Raynor and Moth's remarkable tale, albeit with minor creative tweaks. Raynor shared: "The final script was beautiful, capturing the essence of the original story while taking it forward on a powerful new journey." Gillian and Jason are no strangers to portraying real-life figures, from Margaret Thatcher to Cary Grant. However, in an exclusive chat with the duo divulged that embodying individuals away from the public gaze presented a unique set of challenges. "It's definitely less stressful, less pressure," Anderson elaborated. "You want to, obviously, do right by them and to be respectful in your impersonation. But at the same time it's not quite as intense as doing somebody who's in front of the public eye as much as say a Thatcher or Emily Maitlis or something. "Because the public aren't going to go, 'Well, that's not like them,'" Isaacs concurred. "But also, we really like them. Ray and Moth are amazing people, and their story is so inspiring. The books are so successful, and rightfully so, because they contain messages of such hope and belief and compassion." "And so you not only want them to feel glad that we're doing it, but you want the audience to feel what we felt when we met them, when we read their stories and to be as moved and inspired by their story." "When it came to meeting the real-life Raynor and Moth, Isaacs clarified that he was less focused on mimicking mannerisms and more interested in understanding what made the couple tick. I'm never gonna be as tall, handsome, smiley [as Moth], he's just an extraordinary man," he admitted. "So I just wanted to know, 'What is it inside him?' One of the things I got when I met him is the sign that he wanted everyone else to feel comfortable." "He makes a joke of everything, even when he was talking to me at great length about this tremendous indignity and terror of his condition and where it will naturally end, he wanted to make me feel at ease. So he made me laugh all the time about it. That's a quality I recognised and could walk away with," she reflected. Anderson shared that listening to Raynor narrate the audio book of her memoir was instrumental in helping her embody the character. "It felt like I was properly immersed in her rhythm and her personality," she expressed. "Her accent is quite unusual. Both of their accents are quite unusual. And I found it very challenging. So I think at the end of the day, you kind of choose what feels organic and isn't forced, and hope that that's enough of an impression that they can recognise themselves."
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Salt Path: Melton woman who inspired film relives emotions
A woman who travelled across the South West Coastal Path with her terminally ill husband has said a film depicting their journey took her "right back" to those difficult Winn, a writer who grew up on a farm in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, said she lost her dream home in Wales in 2013 after a financial dispute just days after her husband Moth was diagnosed with Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD), a rare brain nothing to lose, the couple set off on a 630-mile trek from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and journey across England's largest uninterrupted path has now been made into a film - The Salt Path - featuring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. "As we were preparing to leave the house, and the bailiffs were knocking at the door, we were hiding under the stairs. We were not ready to go," Mrs Winn said."It was in those last moments that I saw a book about someone who had walked the coastal path with their dog."In that desperate time, it just seemed like the most obvious thing to do. All we wanted to do was pack our bags and take a walk." Five years on from the adventure, in 2018, Mrs Winn released her memoir entitled The Salt received nationwide acclaim, and was shortlisted for the 2018 Wainwright Prize, an award that celebrates travel-based writing."We had nowhere to go. We knew that when we stepped out of the door, we were going to be homeless."Moth's illness had no treatment, or no cure. I was drawn to following a line on the map. It gave us a purpose, and that's what it was all about." 'Huge in emotion' Just a few months after her book was published, Mrs Winn said she was approached by a producer and filming of 'The Salt Path' started in the summer of 2023."It makes no sense. I remember the day we met. There was a knock at the door, and there was Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs outside."They told me to put the kettle on. That's not what is supposed to happen to a girl from Melton Mowbray," she Winn said the film took her "straight back to those emotions that were so difficult". "The producer and director have created something that's sparse in dialogue."It's huge in emotion and it urges anyone to focus on the now. Just focus on now and all will turn out differently tomorrow," she said.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
We lost everything and became homeless in our 50s just as my husband was diagnosed with an incurable disease - now Gillian Anderson is playing me in Hollywood movie about how we survived
The plan came to Raynor Winn in the most unlikely of places. It was while hiding from bailiffs under the stairs as her farmhouse was about to be repossessed that she spotted a book that had been on the shelf for years. It was the story of a man who'd walked the South West Coast Path – the 630-mile walk from Minehead in Somerset, through Devon and Cornwall to Poole, Dorset – and she knew then that was what she and her husband Moth must do. 'We were living a dream life in Wales,' says Raynor. 'When we first came to the house the roof was falling in, but we had our fantasy of what we were going to do and that's what we did.' They made their living hosting tourists, but a bad investment meant that suddenly they lost everything in their 50s. They were given less than a week to leave, the only positive being that their two children were away at university. Just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, they did. 'In the few days that we had to pack up, Moth was diagnosed with the degenerative disease Corticobasal Degeneration, which causes problems with movement, speech and memory, and has no cure,' says Raynor. Deciding to do the walk was an act of desperation. 'We were about to become homeless, and it seemed the most obvious thing to do,' says Raynor. 'Fill a rucksack and go for a walk. Follow a line on the map and see if that would take us into the next day, because at that point there was no purpose to the next day.' Starting in 2013, they did the walk over two summers, sheltering over winter in a friend's shed. When Raynor decided to write about it with the help of the notes Moth had made, their daughter suggested they see if an agent might be interested. Raynor's book The Salt Path was published in 2018 and became a bestseller (as well as coining a new nickname for the seaside walk), and now it has been turned into a life-affirming film starring Gillian Anderson as Raynor and Jason Isaacs as Moth. It follows them as they struggle in the rain and bask in the sun. We see them become stronger mentally and physically, buoyed by the people they meet and the beauty of nature. 'There are three characters in our story – Moth, me, and the path,' says Raynor. 'What grew over time was the sense of strength and support we took from the natural world and just putting one foot in front of the other.' The worst times were when people recoiled after she told them they'd lost their home. 'But we also met incredible people. Often they had very little, but offered us everything they had. That sense of communities that exist outside the mainstream comes across in the film.' It was during one scary moment that Raynor found a feeling of strength. 'It opens the film and it's my favourite scene. 'We were camped in this little cove and we'd pitched our tent what seemed a good distance from high tide. But I woke up at 3am to realise the tide was about a metre away and still coming in. We grabbed the tent and ran to high ground. And I realised Moth had run up a beach carrying a tent when weeks before he hadn't been able to put his coat on. That's when we understood something was happening to his body that hadn't been predicted. It was a miracle.' Raynor and Moth spent a day with Gillian and Jason when they were filming at the Valley of Rocks in Exmoor. 'When they told me Gillian Anderson was going to play me, I was shocked,' says Raynor. 'She's stunning. How could she possibly portray me at my rawest? But she's done an incredible job of capturing that sense of me being lost in life. I could see why they chose Jason. He has the same effervescence as Moth.' Moth was given possibly only two years to live after his diagnosis; 12 years on, he is not 'cured', but nature keeps him strong. 'The point of the story is that no matter how difficult things appear to be or how much you have been told you can't go forwards, there's always a way,' Raynor says. 'It's about finding a way to stand up when life has knocked you down.' The Salt Path is in cinemas from May 23.
Leader Live
09-05-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
Why Wrexham family have donated man's brain to research
Peter Taylor was diagnosed with overlapping Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD) after years of experiencing unexplained symptoms such as forgetfulness and muscle stiffness – which led to a foot becoming claw like. Both conditions are terminal – with no treatment to slow the progression and no cure available. That is why, after all the tests, appointments and chasing Mr Taylor's family experienced, they were keen to raise funds in his name, while also aiding research by donating his brain after he died last year. His partner Pat, along with children Katie, Leisa, Anna and Tim have been inspired to donate their father's brain in recognition of the challenges the diseases have posed. Katie says she noticed changes developing in her dad, Peter, over around a year. The changes included incontinence, forgetfulness and a foot that had turned in on itself to be almost claw like. She: 'Dad was generally fit and well throughout life. He was very active, playing football and squash regularly, and cycling. I started to notice a variety of subtle changes stacking up. The final straw, which triggered me to contact Dad's GP, was when I saw him without socks one day – all toes on the left foot were contracted like a claw. 'I spent weeks chasing the GP for answers. Eventually, the GP thought Dad could have Parkinson's disease and referred him to the local Neurology Team. "Straight away, the Neurologist suspected a diagnosis of Corticobasal Degeneration, overlapping with traits of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Both suspicions were confirmed following a later brain scan at Walton Hospital. "This diagnosis was devastating for us all. It was very difficult to comprehend what it all meant, and what the future would hold' Due to a lack of awareness and understanding of Corticobasal Degeneration, Katie wasn't sure what support Dad was entitled to, so ended up ringing around different local professionals for help. She added: 'I chased everything up myself. I found a neurology nurse specialist, district nurses, physio, OT, dietitian, hospice. I just called and asked what these people could do, then pestered the GP to refer accordingly, and I didn't stop pestering them until they had! It was frustrating and exhausting.' Pat and Peter Taylor. (Image: PSPA) As a result of the difficulties Peter and the family experienced during his illness, Katie is keen to raise awareness of Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD), and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). This included the decision by the family to offer the ultimate gift of donating Peter's brain to aid research into the condition. Katie said: 'Sadly, we lost Dad in August 2024, just three years after his diagnosis. His passing was thankfully quick and very peaceful. Dad's brain is now stored in Manchester Brain Bank, it will be used to help advance research both in the UK and overseas. "This gave us as a family something positive to focus on after all the challenges we had faced during Dad's illness. We also set up an In-Memory JustGiving page for Dad with proceeds going to PSPA.' If you would like to support research into Corticobasal Degeneration and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, like Peters' family have, you can learn more about PSPA's Understood Appeal at: The Understood Appeal aims to raise £2 million to help progress research into Corticobasal Degeneration and PSP. In particular, the charity wants to fund research which will help to unlock quick and accurate diagnosis, immediate treatment and consistent care. MORE NEWS PSP and CBD are two rare neuro-degenerative diseases. They are caused by the loss of neurons in certain parts of the brain. Over time, this leads to difficulties with balance, mobility, speech, vision, swallowing and cognition. Both conditions are life limiting. There is no treatment and no cure. Currently, around 60 per cent of people living with either disease, are initially misdiagnosed with other conditions including Parkinson's, stroke and depression. PSPA is the only UK charity dedicated to creating a better future for every affected by PSP and CBD.
