The Chase star Paul Sinha has announced he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 49. The professional quizzer and comedian shared the news on Twitter, vowing to 'fight this with every breath I have'. In a blog post, he revealed the diagnosis was confirmed on 30 May after two years of health issues, including a frozen right shoulder and Type 2 diabetes.
Sinha, known as 'The Sinnerman' on the ITV quiz show, wrote that his reaction was not one of shock, as he had been experiencing a worsening right-sided limp. He described the past two weeks as 'really, really tough', having to cancel his Edinburgh Fringe run, miss the World Quizzing Championships for brain scans, and deliver the bad news to loved ones. He now feels more prepared with a treatment plan in place.
The former doctor intends to continue his work on The Chase, as well as writing, performing comedy, and quizzing. He added, 'Dancing On Ice is, I suspect, out of the question.' Tributes poured in from the comedy world, including from fellow comic Chris Addison and Scots comedian Janey Godley. Co-star Jenny 'The Vixen' Ryan posted, 'Love you loads, brother.'
Sinha, who attended Dulwich College and St George's Hospital Medical School, qualified as a GP in the 1990s before pursuing stand-up comedy. He currently appears on Taskmaster and has his own BBC Radio 4 show, Paul Sinha's Quiz Culture.
