The Chase’s Paul Sinha reveals he had ‘total breakdown’ after realising he had Parkinsons
THE Chase star Paul Sinha revealed he had a "total breakdown" after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
The quizzer and comedian, 49, wrote an emotional blog post in June telling his fans about the diagnosis.
While he seemed to be dealing with it on the surface, there were emotional issues bubbling under the surface after the life-changing news.
in a candid interview: "I had been suffering from a frozen shoulder since September 2017. I'd seen a specialist who was convinced he could cure it, but nothing seemed to work."
Paul, a former GP, googled the symptoms himself: "The next day in a cab I decided to Google the words 'frozen shoulder' and 'Parkinson's'. And I knew I had Parkison's."
The comedian then admitted: "Looking back to those two weeks after the diagnosis I think I had a breakdown."
The diagnosis disrupted his life: he had to miss both the World Quizzing Championships and the Edinburgh Fringe.
Paul - who's nickname is The Sinnerman - is a Chaser alongside Anne Hegerty, Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace and Jenny Ryan on the ITV show hosted by Bradley Walsh.
However, the star said he plans to fight the disease with "every breath" when he announced the diagnosis to fans.
Writing on his blog at the time, he said: "With the diagnosis now confirmed, and a treatment plan in place, I now feel far more prepared for the new challenges ahead.
"I have an amazing family, no strangers to serious medical illness, I'm blessed to have a fiance who is there for me, and I have a multitude of friends and colleagues whom I consider to be exceptional human beings.
"I don't consider myself unlucky, and whatever the next stage of my life holds for me, many others have it far worse.
"In the time since my Parkinson's started I have been ludicrously busy, and fully intend to keep Chasing, keep writing and performing comedy, keep quizzing and keep being hopeless at Tasks.
"Dancing On Ice is, I suspect, out of the question. A lot of people have asked 'What can I do to help?' The answer is to treat me exactly the same as before. Much love, Paul."
Fans worried about Paul when he appeared in Taskmaster season eight earlier this year, where he failed to complete a few physical tasks properly.
One included throwing a toilet roll and the other involved zipping up a sleeping bag. In the latter he needed fellow comedian Iain Stirling's help.
The Chase star proposed to his fiance Oliver, who he has been with since 2017, earlier in the year.
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He told fans on Twitter, saying: "I proposed today. he said yes. Thus starts yet another diet."
Paul came out on The Chase in 2017, but says references to his sexuality have been edited out of the show.
He told GuysLikeU: "I have been on the show for six years and I have made lots of references to being gay. But they mysteriously never made the edit."
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