The Chase's Paul Sinha recalls ‘fright of his life’ in Parkinson's update (2025)

The ITV star has been open about his health battle in recent years

The Chase star Paul Sinha has recalled the ‘fright of his life’ as he provided an update to his battle with Parkinson's.

Paul, known as The Sinnerman on the hit ITV quiz show, was diagnosed with the degenerative neurological disorder in 2019.

Appearing on Thursday’s (April 17) edition of Loose Women, Paul spoke about the ‘surprise symptoms’ he experienced before his diagnosis.

“Everyone thinks you shake. I presented one morning with a stiff painful right shoulder. I didn’t think anything of it, I thought ‘this is going to go away’ and it never went away.

“For about a year I had injections, x-rays, scans and all sorts of things. Eventually I had an operation in January 2019 and it didn’t get aany better,” he said

Saying his frozen shoulder symptom was ‘not exactly rare and not exactly that common’, Paul recalled a scary moment he had at a comedy festival.

“I was in New Zealand in May 2019, I started to limp. There was a growing sense of doom. In a taxi, I Googled ‘Parkinson’s and Frozen Shoulder’ and got the fright of my life.”

He added: “I’ve always tried to be a perfect patient. I don’t want a doctor to miss out on something because they assume you know it. I always tired to be a patient who knows nothing…

“It was a relief… when I went to the neurologist I thought please 'don’t let it be motor neurone disease or something with a faster decline'.

“Being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, it gave me a diagnosis that I know I have time to do the bucket list things, oddly enough I don’t have a bucket list. I did go to Brazil last year on holiday and that was a big one.”

Saying that there has been no ‘major change’ in his lifestyle, Paul admitted he ‘feels lucky’ that he doesn’t work a 'nine to five’ job.

He explained: “I can plan my schedule each day around what I’m doing. I try make sure I’m well rested in the afternoon so I can have an early night.

“You facilitate your sleep around your schedule. I think it’s important to be proactive and knowing about the whole thing.

“I do an online speed quiz at 6pm, that’s the one thing I always find time for. It does mean I take my second tablet of the day an hour before so my speed is good.”

Asked if he’s worried about how his Parkinson’s will develop, Paul said that ‘it’s always’ on his mind as a result of his work.

".As I become physically disabled I can still do The Chase and stand up comedy. If I become more cognitively disabled those things become out of the question for me,” he said.

While he struggles with ‘slowness’, Paul credited his beloved husband Oliver Leery for always trying to help him.

“I now have to sit down on the bed to put my trousers on. I’m lucky enough to have a very devoted husband and he makes sure I look hot when I’m on TV,” he said to cheers from the audience.