Rob Barrow received his MBE at Windsor Castle with his wife Lindsay
Rob Barrow described his shock at being given an MBE by Princess Royal for rugby and motor neurone disease awareness services.
Burroughs, 39, had a famous playing career with the Leeds Rhinos. He won eight grand finals and 20 international caps before retiring from the game in 2017. Then in 2019 he contracted motor neurone disease (MND).
Since his diagnosis, Barrow has openly shared his life and campaigned for all those affected by the disease.
Burroughs invested in Windsor Castle and received his MBE award from The Princess Royal, the patron of the MND Association.
“I was shocked to receive the MBE award. It’s not something I wanted to achieve but it was an honor to receive this award,” said Burroughs, who is now speaking through a computer.
“It simply came to our notice then. Any excuse to see my wife dress up, she deserves it for the tremendous support she gives me and our family. I hope he enjoys the show as much as I do.
“I’ve always gotten a kick out for giving to people close to me that the experience is like no other. This gives my Lindsay an escape from a simple day-to-day management of caring for me.
“I am just happy to be here for my rugby and MND awareness.
“The most important thing is that the MND continues to be talked about and it remains in the public eye. I am amazed at the response to my diagnosis and I hope the MND community knows that it is for them.”
Chris James, of the MND Association, joined the former player and his family at Windsor Castle and said Rob’s efforts encouraged others to raise funds for the charity.
He said: “I think Robb is incredibly brave in what he has done, in the eyes of the public as he did with his journey with MND. He has done a lot to raise awareness about MND which is a disease that does not get as much attention as other diseases.
“We know that the MND Association has raised more than 4 million as a result of raising awareness directly from Rob.”
Sally Light, chief executive of the Motor Neurone Diseases Association, echoed James’ sentiments.
“Rob has unselfishly chosen to share with the world his journey with MND, which has encouraged people to do whatever they can to help find a cure for this heinous disease.
“We are incredibly proud to have Rob as a sponsor of the MND Association and I would like to extend my deepest congratulations to Rob and his family on this special day.”
