Paul Sinha has revealed his plan to leave The Chase if his Parkinson's disease makes him a liability on the ITV quiz show. The 54-year-old, known as the Sinnerman, was diagnosed in 2019 after a doctor spotted early symptoms while watching him on television.
Quizzing remains sharp despite symptoms
Speaking on The Courage To Speak podcast, Sinha said his brain still functions well for quizzing: 'There seems to be a quiz mode in my brain where I get into that mode and I'm fine.' He contrasted this with forgetting names of comedians he had worked with.
Sinha joined The Chase in 2011 and has appeared on spin-offs including Beat The Chasers and Chase Around The World. He admitted: 'What I've always said about The Chase is, if I think I'm a liability I'll just leave. If I think I'm not worth my position on the show, I'll just say it's time to make a dignified exit.'
Using comedy to connect
On BBC Radio Merseyside, Sinha said his Parkinson's diagnosis has given him a connection with older audiences facing medical issues. 'Suddenly it's given me a connection especially to the older members of the audience who may be having disease processes or medical issues of their own.'
He described his role: 'I very much feel that I'm a good comedian to watch if you're aged between 50 and 70 and you've got a long list of medical ailments that's stressing you out. It's my job to put it into perspective and try and make it funny.'
NHS on main symptoms
According to the NHS, the three main symptoms of Parkinson's affect physical movement: tremor (shaking usually in the hand or arm at rest), slowness of movement (bradykinesia), and muscle stiffness (rigidity). The NHS advises seeing a GP if these symptoms occur or if shoulder pain does not go away.
The Chase Around The World continues tonight at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
