TV ban for motor-neurone ad

Did you see it? Probably not, as the advert that apparently “could have caused offence” to the nation, in which a woman is slung across a room to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease, her limbs contorted and muscles wasting away, received only limited cinema release and didn’t make it to television airtime. Sarah Ezekiel, the star of the advert Sarah’s Story, explains why she believes people need to see it

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a horrific disease that can strike anyone at any time, as it did me, and I’ve been trying to raise awareness of it for several years.

When Donna Cresswell, from the MND Association, showed me the storyboard for the advert, I knew that this was a fantastic way to show the impact of MND and of receiving a diagnosis. (The reality, for me, was actually far worse.)

So I’m disappointed by the decision of Clearcast, the TV advertising watchdog, not to show the adverts on television.

They asked us to take out a huge part of the advert where I’m stripped of my clothes and left in my underwear, but this is integral to showing how muscle wastage affects the skin; without it, the film wouldn’t be nearly as effective.

There are several disturbing adverts on TV right now, but ours conveys the reality of a disease that kills five people a day in the UK.

Hundreds of carers have helped me with personal care for nine years, so I’m used to people seeing me in an exposed way. MND robbed me of my dignity and left me feeling vulnerable and I wanted to be able to show that in the footage.

I’m extremely proud of Sarah’s Story and everything connected with it. I’m glad that posters displayed in over 80 national rail stations around the UK, and 18 tube stations in London, have raised more awareness of MND but, until the advert is shown on TV, it can’t possibly achieve its full potential.

We desperately need to raise public awareness to raise funds for research, to find a cure.

I’d like to see Sarah’s Story on TV exactly as it is, not edited as Clearcast have requested. Without more public awareness, I fear that this disease will continue to be a silent killer.

For more information on Motor Neurone Disease and to watch the advert, visit www.sarahsstory.org.uk

• Sarah Ezekiel was speaking to Cathy Reay