Rob Burrow: Emotional documentary released charting life, death and legacy of Leeds Rhinos legend

Kevin Sinfield said he was “pretty heartbroken” as he paid tribute to his friend and former teammate Rob Burrow, calling him a “superhuman superman”.

The former Leeds Rhinos player and motor neurone disease fundraiser said the loss was “pretty raw still” as he attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Rob Burrow Centre for MND at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds on Monday.

Fighting back tears as he spoke to the BBC, he said: “I wish he could have seen the outpouring of love.

“I think we all lose special people but it’s very, very rare you lose someone who’s so special to so many different people.

“As you can see, it’s pretty raw still.

“He’ll leave a massive hole and I know there will be a lot of people out there who are heartbroken this morning at the news from yesterday.

“What’s really important is Rob Burrow continues to live forever. I’m sure the MND community and everyone who’s supported us previously will make sure that Rob’s name is at the forefront of everything we do going forward.”

Sinfield said Burrow was “a superhuman superman in a game of big, strong athletes”.

A new documentary with a message from Rob Burrow will air tonight, the BBC has confirmed.

The message was recorded only for use after his death.

The 30-minute programme, titled 'There's Only One Rob Burrow', will be available to watch on BBC One at 8.30pm.

Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington has promised the club and rugby league in general will ensure Rob Burrow will never be forgotten.

As fans continued to gather outside Headingley Stadium on Monday to pay tribute to Burrow, Hetherington said: “Now’s the time to start considering what else we can do to recognise his legacy at both Leeds Rhinos and the game in general.”

Burrow’s family attended an emotional groundbreaking ceremony for the Rob Burrow Centre for MND at Seacroft Hospital on Monday after he and former team-mate Kevin Sinfield had helped raise millions of pounds.

Hetherington added: “So poignant isn’t it that that should be happening today?

“I’m delighted that that process has been accelerated to such an extent it’s now going to get done and that in itself will be a permanent memorial and reminder of Rob Burrow.

“Of course what he’s done with Kevin Sinfield, and others, to promote the awareness of MND, has been inspirational as well. It has brought it to everybody’s attention.

“All sport has come together and it’s been a marvellous campaign in that regard and it’s been promoted by sportspeople and Rob has been at the heart of that.

“So yes, while it’s a very, very sad day, it’s a very significant one as well.”

Esther Wakeman, chief executive of Leeds Hospitals Charity, said they would be adding up the hundreds of donations received since Burrow’s death in the coming days to see how much closer they are to raising the final £1 million needed for the Rob Burrow Centre for MND. The total fundraising target is £6.8m.

Ms Wakeman said she first met Burrow and his wife Lindsey when they decided to fundraise for the new facility for MND patients. She told the PA news agency: “I was just so impressed with their absolute selflessness, thinking about other people when he’d recently been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease himself and coming to terms with that.”

Ms Wakeman said: “For me personally and for Leeds Hospitals Charity, Rob has been a huge inspiration. His desire to do his best for patients with MND has made us really think about what can we do to do him proud.

“We have appointed the best architects, the best builders, really making sure we’ve worked with him, his family and other patients to really inform what the new centre’s going to look like – and that is really because of Rob, his passion, his energy, his cheeky smile. I will always remember that, he really has inspired the whole community to get behind it. I think every brick that’s laid in this new building will be in Rob’s name, the love and care for Rob from the community, because he had that love and care for them to do this for them.

“I think he’s going to get it back in spades, quite literally. We put spades in the ground this morning and it was a real bittersweet moment because we knew that he should have been there and it was what he wanted.”

She added: “His outlook was just completely different from everyone else, he was always positive, always looking for what he could do to make a difference. He’s really shone a light on what it means to have Motor Neurone Disease and even people who’ve never experienced it themselves- he opened up his life, he really did give so much of himself, as has Lindsey and the rest of the family.”

Rob Burrow's heartbroken widow Lindsey has paid tribute to her late husband in a touching statement.

Lindsey, who cared for Rob since his devastating diagnosis and featured in a BBC documentary about their home life, said she was “incredibly proud and fortunate” to call him her husband.

She said: "We are all deeply saddened by the loss of our devoted husband and father.

"I was incredibly proud and fortunate to call Rob my husband. I am unbelievably proud of the campaigning he’s done to raise awareness and the millions of pounds that have been raised in his name for MND charities.

"I would like to thank the Rugby League community and everyone for their outpouring of love and support since Rob’s diagnosis. I truly appreciate every message of support, and fundraising that has been done.

"My priority is to make Rob proud, and to bring our three children up as Rob would want and ensure their happiness and well-being.

“We will continue to keep Rob’s legacy alive. We will continue to ‘bang the drum’ and do our best to try and help others.

"I would like to thank Dr Agam Jung and the MND team at Seacroft Hospital for all the care they have shown Rob since his diagnosis and all the staff at Pinderfields for their compassion for Rob in his final days.

"Although we knew this day would arrive, I am somehow still feeling at a loss for words that our loving, kind and caring husband and father has departed. However, we take comfort from how much people’s love and continued support meant to Rob through his most vulnerable times.

"He was simply the best. Our Hero."

Our reporter James Connolly, who was at Headingley Stadium today speaking to fans, has pulled together a gallery of moving pictures from the tribute scenes.

See our full gallery here:

23 moving photos of tributes to Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow at Headingley Stadium

Rob Burrow’s rugby league legacy will be the focal point of Saturday’s Challenge Cup final day at Wembley with a series of tributes lined up in his honour.

A minute’s silence will be staged prior to both the men’s and women’s finals while a minute’s applause will also take place in the seventh minute of each match – Burrow wore the number seven shirt for Leeds – as well as the schools and 1895 Cup finals.

RL Commercial’s managing director Rhodri Jones said: “Saturday provides us with an opportunity to celebrate Rob’s life.

“All eight competing teams will show their respect for Rob and their support for the battle he championed against Motor Neurone Disease.”

Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow has urged people not to waste a moment of life in an inspiring final message, recorded before his tragic death.

Rob spoke during new BBC documentary ‘There’s Only One Rob Burrow’, that aired tonight (June 6).

It featured interviews with his former teammate and best friend Kevin Sinfield, his wife Lindsey Burrow and his parents Geoff and Irene Burrow, as well as Rob himself.

Read more here: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/people/inspiring-final-message-from-leeds-rhinos-legend-rob-burrow-in-documentary-recorded-before-tragic-death-4652108

Thank you for following the YEP’s coverage of the tributes shared for Rob Burrow.

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