Lewis Moody fundraising appeal raises more than £150,000

A fundraiser set up for former England rugby captain Lewis Moody after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease has raised more £150,000.

Former Leicester Tigers players Leon Lloyd and Geordan Murphy started the fundraiser for Moody, who they said was “just as committed off the field as a friend, as a husband and as a son”.

The 47-year-old, who was part of the 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning side and lifted multiple English and European titles with Leicester, broke the news of his diagnosis on Monday, two weeks after learning he has the disease.

Murphy described Moody as a selfless human being who thought about other people before himself.

He said: “Lewis has been one of my best mates for a very long period of time and when your best friend tells you something like that, it is pretty devastating.

“It has been a tough week, but it is an honour to be here speaking about Lewis, and hopefully we can do some amazing things on the back of an awful prognosis.

“Lewis without a shadow of a doubt was the glue of the team. He was an unbelievable team-mate, he gave 100% in absolutely everything he did.

“But off the field he was no different, an incredibly passionate, loyal, friend and father.

“He is one of the best of us, it is heart-breaking, but he is probably the one bloke who will face it with a smile on his face.”

Lloyd and Murphy spoke to the BBC from Welford Road, a place of many triumphs they enjoyed together with their friend.

After hearing the news, Lloyd said he wanted to see him as soon as he could.

“I drove down there just for nothing more really than to let him know that this is not something he has to do by himself,” he said.

“Lewis has been through a lot, I’ve been through a lot with him as well, with his colitis, lots of ups and downs about his career, but it was nothing like that moment.

“No words were said really, we just looked at each other and gave each other a man hug.

“People remember Lewis for what he did on the pitch, we all remember the great stuff he did.

“He is just as committed off the field as a friend, as a husband, as a son. He is always all in.”

Murphy said since creating the fundraiser, Moody had already been on the phone to him asking how he can help.

Money raised will be put towards helping Moody and his family in the future along with “causes they choose to support once they have taken stock of where best to channel their efforts”.

Murphy said: “To ask anyone for a penny is difficult, there are so many charities, the world is in such a tough place, that we almost felt a little bit embarrassed by saying we want to do this.

“But there has been amazing donations and you know what looking at the page, some people have donated a pound, some have donated five pounds and that’s actually even more special.”

Additional reporting by Ady Dayman.