The Chase's Paul Sinha forced to walk away from beloved part of career due to health woes - Liverpool Echo

The Chase's Paul Sinha forced to walk away from beloved part of career due to health woesThe Chase's 'Sinnerman' has been performing as a stand-up comedian and quizzer for many years, but

he's been forced to scale back part of his career due to his battle with Parkinson'sCommentsNewsMichael Moran12:54, 29 May 2025Updated 16:22, 29 May 2025Paul Sinha on The Chase(Image: ITV)

The Chase star Paul Sinha began performing as a stand-up comic while he was still working as a junior doctor, but since his Parkinson's Disease diagnosis in 2019, he's found it increasingly

hard to visit comedy's most important event.

While he was once an Edinburgh Festival diehard, revelling in the "exercise in masochism" of attending show after show in tiny, packed clubs, he admits it's not as easy these days.

‌ "I now find with my health not being what it was, and my general energy levels, I find it a lot harder – not least the heat," he admitted on Tim Lihoreau's Guess Who's coming To Dinner

podcast. "The rooms at the Edinburgh Festival are really hot, the performing rooms, and I find it hard."

‌Paul qualified as a GP in the 1990s(Image: undefined via Getty Images) After addressing his discomfort, Paul, who celebrated his 55th birthday this week, explained: "I don't think I could

ever go to Edinburgh and leave early, because I just wouldn't feel like I was part of the gang.

"You've got to be genuinely suffering to a degree to feel that you're part of the gang."

Article continues below Paul received his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2019, after "worrying about why a right-sided limp was now getting worse."

He has become beloved as The Chase's 'Sinnerman'(Image: ITV) Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder which causes parts of the brain to become progressively damaged. It's

marked by tremors, and problems with balance, as well as sleep abnormalities, psychosis, and mood swings. As of yet, there is no known cure.

‌ Paul, nicknamed by The Chase fans as The Sinnerman, said that many of his friends, who were still working in medicine, had spotted the early symptoms, but it wasn't until he saw his

consultant for a second time that his symptoms were identified.

"I went to see him and he said, 'I've just been watching you on Taskmaster, I wish I'd known. I would have diagnosed you far quicker'," he told The Sun, adding: "there were telltale signs in

the way I adjust and move that he said were diagnostic."

Paul was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2019(Image: undefined via Getty Images)‌ Paul said most people are familiar with the tremors that Parkinson's causes, but aren't aware that the

disease has other, less common effects on the body.

One of the earliest warning signs of Parkinson's is a loss of sense of smell, which can strike several years before other symptoms develop. Nerve pain, problems with peeing, and memory

problems can also be a cause of concern.

Paul recalled on Loose Women how a seemingly innocuous ache was an early warning sign: "I presented one morning with a stiff, painful right shoulder. I never had a stiff joint before," he

said. "I didn't think anything of it, I thought, 'this is just going to go away,' and then it just never went away."

Article continues below Paul works hard to manage his symptoms. Concerned about cognitive decline, he plays an online speed quiz every day at 6pm called Tea Time Trivia to keep his brain

sharp: "It's something that's always on your mind because my brain is my tool," he said.

"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."