Paul Sinha talks Parkinson’s disease diagnosis

The Chase star Paul Sinha has given his first telly interview since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and has revealed how his family have inspired him to have a positive attitude.

The comedian and quiz personality first went public with his diagnosis in a June entry on his official blog, noting “On the evening of Thursday May 30th, an experienced consultant neurologist calmly informed me that I had Parkinson’s disease. It was a devastating denouement to a medical odyssey that began in September 2017 with a sudden-onset, frozen right shoulder, and took in an unexpected diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, a lifestyle transformation that enabled me to lose two stone, and a shoulder operation in January this year.”

Sinha wrapped up the entry by assuring his fans that he fully intends to “keep chasing”. Now, speaking for the first time on television today about the diagnosis, he told Lorraine Kelly:

“It’s good for your health to not give up. My dad didn’t give up when he had a cardiac arrest in 1990, my mum didn’t give up when she had breast cancer in 2008, my sister’s son is severely autistic… we are a family of unwell people. I’m not going to be the one that drops out of the fight and goes, ‘Sorry I’m not quite ready for this’. In the same way they’ve all been there for me, I’ve got to be there for me.”

Lorraine asked Paul how he was doing, “Well I’m fine to be perfectly honest with you,” he replied. “It was a shock, but not a massive one because I knew that things were going wrong with my body. When I went to see the neurologist at the end of May, I knew the news was unlikely to be good but having started with my medication, I’m just getting on with life.”

His The Chase co-star Jenny Ryan is currently participating in Celebrity X Factor and wowed audiences with a rendition of “Somebody to Love” on Saturday night. Paul said that he was aware of Jenny’s secret talent, but noted that it was not one he possessed himself.

He also spoke about his upcoming wedding, which will take place in December.

“I was single for 23 years,” he revealed of his impending nuptials. “I did not see this one coming at all.”