The Chase star Paul Sinha has opened up about living with Parkinson's disease and what it could mean for his career. The 54-year-old quizzer, known as The Sinnerman, was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2019 after a doctor noticed early signs while watching him on TV. The diagnosis came two years after he learned he had Type 2 diabetes and experienced a 'sudden-onset' frozen right shoulder.
Staying positive through challenges
Since then, Paul has vowed to remain positive through the challenges and recently revealed that living with the condition had in fact inspired some of his comedy. Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside, he said: 'I'll be honest, it's not a great diagnosis and I know the future may look bleak but I'm having a lot of fun with it at the moment, because 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.'
'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.'
Possible exit from The Chase
Paul admitted he would consider stepping away from The Chase should his Parkinson's symptoms ever begin to affect his performance on the show. He has said that at times it can be difficult to tell what is down to Parkinson's and what is simply ageing, but he insists his quizzing ability remains sharp. Speaking on The Courage To Speak podcast last year, he said there's a 'quiz mode' in his brain where everything clicks 'whereas, the number of times I've forgotten the name of a comedian I've worked with that weekend... if they asked me a quiz question, I'd get it straight away.'
Paul has been a part of The Chase since 2011 and has appeared across spin-offs including Beat The Chasers and Chase Around The World. 'What I've always said about The Chase is, if I think I'm a liability I'll just leave,' he admitted. 'If I think I'm not worth my position on the show, I'll just say it's time to make a dignified exit.'
NHS symptoms of Parkinson's
The NHS lists three main symptoms of Parkinson's that affect movement and advises speaking to a GP if you notice warning signs, or if shoulder pain and stiffness doesn't improve. The main symptoms can include:
- tremor – shaking, which usually begins in the hand or arm and is more likely to occur when the limb is relaxed and resting
- slowness of movement (bradykinesia) – physical movements are much slower than normal, which can make everyday tasks difficult and result in a distinctive slow, shuffling walk with very small steps
- muscle stiffness (rigidity) – stiffness and tension in the muscles, which can make it difficult to move around and make facial expressions, and can result in painful muscle cramps (dystonia)
The Chase Around The World continues tonight at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
