Prince William was in attendance of the opening for the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease after making a vow previously. Rob’s close friend Kevin Sinfield spoke to BBC Breakfast about the opening of the centre and what it meant to have Prince William there. He told the hosts: “It’s really, really special. When I think back to being on this site so many years ago, and Rob selecting this site, it seemed like it was never going to happen.”
He said the opening of it had been a “really special day”, adding that they’ve come so far with the support and awareness for the disease. Kevin continued: “To have Prince William here today, he’s a man of his word. He said he would come and open it, he told Rob he would.”
Kevin added: “To have him here today just shows what a caring guy he is and it adds great credibility to the work that’s been done.” He reflected on the progress and said he’s “really grateful” and praised BBC Breakfast for getting behind them with the campaign they first launched when they ran for MND during covid.
He said: “Without [BBC Breakfast] we wouldn’t be across every home in the UK in the morning. The Burrow family is a proper family that everyone across the UK fell in love with and watched the journey.”
Viewers in the comments also praised Kevin for the support he had given, saying: “Hopefully he’ll be getting his knighthood from William as it’s well overdue. He’s a credit to Rob, his family, and the rugby league community.”
Another wrote: “A fine example of someone who has made a massive difference. A seismic difference. We should all be grateful for people like Kevin.”
Rob sadly died on June 2, 2024 at just 41 years old from motor neurone disease after he had been diagnosed with the condition in late 2019. In his final years he had spent his time raising awareness and funds for further research.
He had become an advocate for MND awareness and between him and his teammate Kevin they raised millions for MND charities which sparked an increase in research investment. In 2021 he was made an MBE and was awarded a CBE.
Tributes were paid to him by many famous faces at the time of his death, including Prince William who referred to him as an “inspiration”.
