Paul Sinha, aka ‘The Sinnerman’ from ‘The Chase’, has opened up about living with Parkinson’s, sharing a brutally honest update during a recent comedy set.
Speaking at the Ealing Comedy Festival, Paul told the crowd he’s been grappling with the reality of his “tough diagnosis”.
“I’m well aware that in 15 to 20 years’ time, I might be completely immobile and totally expressionless,” he said.
“But hey, I’m still Australia’s number one break dancer. Sometimes these things are sent to try us,” he joked with the crowd.
Paul first suspected something was off back during NZ’s Comedy Festival 2019 while in a taxi from Wellington Airport.
“I googled ‘Parkinson’s’ and ‘frozen shoulder’ and just got the shock of my life,” he recalled.
“It was actually a physiotherapist. She had the courage to say ‘Actually, I think something neurological might be going on.’ This was a year and a half after I had presented [symptoms],” he told ITV talk show ‘Loose Women’ earlier this year.
“My brain is my tool. If I become more physically disabled, I’ll still be able to do ‘The Chase’ and I’ll still be able to do stand-up comedy,” he added.
If I become more cognitively disabled, those things are out of the question for me.
According to Parkinson’s NZ, the disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition caused by insufficient quantities of dopamine in the brain.
The four main motor symptoms of Parkinson’s include involuntary shaking (or tremors), slow movement, stiff and inflexible muscles and loss of balance.
Despite the diagnosis, Paul has kept his sharp wit - and his role as one of the iconic six Chasers. This year, he’ll be celebrating his 14th year with the quiz show.
In other celebrations for ‘The Chase’, the first-ever NZ version of the show is well on its way.
Paul Henry will host a four-episode special of the mega-popular quiz show. Following the original format we all know and love, NZ contestants will be going head-to-head with some of 'The Chase' Australia’s most iconic Chasers.
There’s even a chance they’ll face ‘The Governess’, Anne Hegerty.
This announcement makes NZ the 22nd country to produce a local version of the show.
A release date is yet to be announced.
