'Pride meant I didn't discuss my MS diagnosis'

A former carpenter is urging people to be honest with friends and relatives about their multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnoses as part of a week to raise awareness.

Stewart Gould, 78, from Ditcheat, in Somerset, was diagnosed with the neurological condition 16 years ago, but initially tried to pass off his symptoms as a "slight limp" due to a leg injury.

He told BBC Somerset: "It was pride, pure and simple. Nothing else. I just didn't want anyone to see me as less than the person I had been."

But he says since opening up about the disease, no-one has treated him any differently. He has been speaking out as part of MS Awareness Week – a campaign run by a coalition of MS charities.