Former Australia hooker Nathan Charles has revealed that he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, following what he described as a lengthy period of declining health and inconclusive medical investigations.
Charles, 37, disclosed the diagnosis in an interview with Stan Sport, according to the Guardian and Sky Sports. The former Wallaby said he had undergone numerous tests and seen many doctors before receiving an answer in recent weeks.
He said the diagnosis had been difficult to process and that his immediate thoughts were with his family, including his fiancée Steph. Charles also said he understood that each person’s experience of the illness could differ.
A career across Australia, England and France
Charles played four Test matches for Australia after making his international debut in 2014. His professional club career included spells with Western Force and Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby, while Sky Sports reported that he also played for Gloucester, Bath and Wasps in England.
The Guardian reported that he also had a period playing in France. Charles retired from professional rugby in 2018, ending a career in which he had overcome cystic fibrosis to compete at the professional level in a contact sport.
The Guardian described him as the first person with cystic fibrosis to play a contact sport professionally. That achievement gave Charles a distinctive place in rugby before his latest disclosure, while his spells with Gloucester, Bath and Wasps also give the news clear relevance to the English club game.
Charles had previously spoken publicly about living with cystic fibrosis, which Sky Sports reported had been diagnosed when he was three months old. In material published on his personal website and cited by Sky Sports, he had described a determination to challenge expectations around the condition.
His four appearances for Australia included a draw against New Zealand, Sky Sports reported. The reports identify him as a former hooker whose playing career took in international rugby, Super Rugby and club spells in England and France.
Diagnosis follows a long search for answers
Charles said he had spent a long period without answers before receiving the diagnosis. He said tests and consultations with doctors had not established why his health was declining before he was told in recent weeks that he had motor neurone disease.
He said the news had been overwhelming and cruel at times. In the Stan Sport interview cited by both reports, Charles said his first question had concerned how long he had left, while recognising that the condition affects people differently.
Sky Sports reported that Charles described the diagnosis as another major medical setback after living with cystic fibrosis throughout his life.
Both reports said Charles has worked in rugby administration and with Sydney University rugby since retiring. The Guardian said he had become chief executive of Rugby WA and had helped to run Sydney Uni rugby. Sky Sports similarly reported his involvement with Rugby Western Australia and Sydney University Rugby Club.
Support from the Wallabies
Australia’s current squad posted a message of support for Charles on social media, Sky Sports reported. Wallabies captain Harry Wilson said the group would be with Charles during the difficult period ahead.
The support reflects Charles’s continuing links with Australian rugby following his retirement and subsequent administrative work. His announcement, however, remains the central development: a former Australia international with a career spanning Australian, English and French rugby has disclosed a motor neurone disease diagnosis after a prolonged period of deteriorating health and medical investigation.