The Chase star Paul Sinha felt ‘relief’ when diagnosed with Parkinson’s

The Chase star Paul Sinha has said he felt “relief” after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 49.

The professional quizzer, dubbed “The Sinnerman” on the hit ITV game show, was diagnosed with the neurological disease in 2019.

In the same year, he got married and became British Quiz Champion Of The Year.

Discussing his diagnosis, the comedian told 5 News: “There was a slight sense of relief that I could get on with my life because I knew that something was going horribly wrong, and it was more a relief of ‘now that I know what it is, I can sort of own it’.

“Before the diagnosis I was trundling along, now there’s a sense of urgency to just get things done.

“There is more a sense of don’t waste your time, don’t do things that you don’t enjoy, don’t listen to music that you don’t like, there’s more of an urgency to it.”

When asked about his positive mental attitude following the diagnosis, Sinha added: “It’s not an act of courage, it’s an act of pragmatism.

“If you’ve got a disease process, you are going to live a better life if you treat it with good spirits rather than bad.

“The better your mental health, the more fit you are to deal with what the physical side throws at you.

“Things will get worse but I don’t know when they’ll get worse, and therefore I deal with things on a day-to-day situation and my day-to-day situation is I’m not that physically disabled that I can’t get on with my life.”

The former doctor explained that he did not create a bucket list after the diagnosis, but instead he was enjoying life.

“I’ve been to all the places that I really want to go, and I have done the things that I really want to do, for me now, it’s more, in a broader sense, enjoying life, embracing life and enjoying the company of great people,” he told 5 News.

Listen to the full interview with Sian Williams on 5 News on Channel 5.