The Chase’s Paul Sinha reveals his regret over ’15 year gambling addiction’

The Chase star Paul Sinha has spoken of his regret over his '15 year gambling addiction'.

The quizzing expert made the revelation as he admitted: "I wish I’d never walked into a bookmakers’ shop".

Paul, 51, made the confession as he joined broadcaster Clive Anderson on his podcast, .

Reflecting on anything he would change about his life, he said: "When I think back to the things that I’ve done in my life, the only thing I can think of where I’d go, ‘I would definitely never have done that’ is I spent a long time as a gambling addict."

Paul, who last year revealed he's battling Parkinson's disease, went on: "I look back and I think, ‘I wish I’d never gambled.’

"I wish I’d never walked into a bookmakers’ shop and thought to myself, 'Yes of course I know which greyhound is likely to finish first’."

The Chaser, also known as The Sinnerman on the ITV show, detailed how he struggled with gambling between 1995 and 2010, but was able to put an end to it without any help.

Paul, who married Olly Levy in 2019, recalled: "What I find extraordinary is I didn’t do anything, it just went away."

The comedian was recently forced to drop out of filming spin-off series, Beat The Chasers, due to illness.

But last week the star announced he was back at work recording episodes of TV Showdown with team captains Fay Ripley and Rob Beckett.

Not to mention gigging with fellow comedian and presenter Romesh Ranganathan.

He wrote on Twitter: "This week, I'm recording TV showdown. In the last week I've headlined a gig with Romesh.

"Won several quizzes/quiz matches, earning a Player of the Week nomination. Seen my personal trainer twice, and continued writing songs."

Paul has previously insisted that he “won’t let the disease dictate how he lives his life” as he updates fans on Parkinson’s battle.

Speaking on Loose Women, Paul said: “By the time I got the diagnosis there was a sense of relief that it wasn’t anything worse.

“I’m tired from time to time, but anyone that’s quizzed with me in the last six months will tell you I am answering questions very very rapidly indeed.”

He added: “I refuse to live in the future; I only want to live in the present and enjoy the present because I don’t know what my future is. I don’t know when I will start deteriorating.”

In an emotional interview, Paul revealed that he will leave The Chase when he stops answering questions at speed, he said: “I know when I stop answering questions at speed, The Chase won’t fire me.

"I’ll say ‘It’s been a lovely journey and you’ve treated me very well and see you later' – I won’t let the disease dictate how I live my life.”