Too Many Reasons to Live: My Incredible Story

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Dimitar Berbatov says he couldn't speak to team-mates because of self-doubt at Man United as he opens up to Mail Sport Burrow and Kevin Sinfield, the Leeds captain who lifted the Super League trophy for the fifth time since 2004, had both said "It's not how you start, it's how you finish" before they even left the pitch. The 40-year-old, Leeds Rhinos Hall of Fame star, has written two new books in partnership with Macmillan Children's Books. The first, a "beautiful gift book" for all ages called With You Every Step: A Celebration of Friendship comes out on November 9.

The book helped me understand how much Rob still wants to be treated normally. And so even after we talk about difficult subjects he tells me about his enduring love of The Office and how he watched Line of Duty with Lindsey while “trying to work out who ‘H’ was before the final episode – to no avail. I loved watching it with Lindsey because she never has a spare minute.

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This is the story of a tiny kid who adored rugby league but never should have made it – and ended up in the Leeds hall of fame. It's the story of a man who resolved to turn a terrible predicament into something positive – when he could have thrown the towel in. Far more than a sports memoir, Too Many Reasons to Live is a story of boundless courage and infinite kindness. He is engulfed by his ecstatic teammates. It is one of the sweetest moments of his life and the adulation the other players shower on their little scrum-half has underpinned their love since they understood he was dying. His captain that day was, as usual, Kevin Sinfield. I ask Rob if he worries about not being able to swallow one day, which would mean the insertion of a PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy) so he can be fed through a tube. “I have not thought about that part of my journey,” he says. “I hope to get a bit better through various treatments. I think I will improve.” Rob has a comical sense of humour and it's clear he is always the one trying to make people laugh, and this book is not about sympathy as he doesn't want that. He just wants people to understand his story. It's nice he wants to raise money for the charity he created for MND, as there is no cure and a lovely touch that his friends and family do things to raise money to try to raise awareness. The chapters were split into thirds so to speak, his rugby life, his home life and then from friends and family and this I really liked.

He is grateful to see his children enjoying life - watching them running around with a smile on their faces gives him a glimmer of hope You could not put into words how grateful I am to have met Lindsey. I’m trying not to be soppy but some of the things Lindsey does for me is proof that I have found my one and only. No one deserves to have their world turned upside down. Yet she turns up every morning with a smile on her face knowing what the day ahead looks like, knowing I need help with every single thing.