The Chase’s Paul Sinha is using his battle with Parkinson’s Disease as material for his comedic routines.
The 49-year-old comedian and quizzer – whose nickname is the Sinnerman – was diagnosed with the long-term degenerative disorder three months ago, but he’s refusing to let the illness control his life and is using his experience with the condition to make people laugh when he’s performing on stage.
Taking to his blog, he wrote: "I have also started writing routines about it all.
"It’s not necessarily easy to listen to, and it can be a bit brutal, but it’s my job as a comedian to be funny and honest, and I’m not about to stop trying now. It’s going very well so far."
Paul wants his fans to follow his "fight" but he doesn’t want "pity" because that won’t improve his health.
He explained: "I’m comfortable for the public to follow my fight.
"I’d like to be an unofficial mascot for Living Your Life. With two elderly parents, and a severely autistic nephew, I’m only the fourth most unwell member of my immediate family. This helps prevent me descending into self pity, and perhaps more importantly self pity won’t help my health."
Instead, the Sinnerman wants to focus on comedy and quizzing because they keep him happy.
He said: "Happiness helps my health. And for me that is drinking and dining, the company of friends, family and engaging strangers, and striving to be as good as possible at my two beloved jobs. Comedy and Quizzing. As long as the rest of my life is mostly that, then quite frankly Parkinson’s can go f**k itself."
Paul shared his battle with Parkinson’s Disease in June and admitted, although he was "devastated" by the news, he wasn’t "shocked" because his health had started to deteriorate in 2017.
He explained: "It was a devastating denouement to a medical odyssey that began in September 2017 with a sudden-onset, frozen right shoulder, and took in an unexpected diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, a lifestyle transformation that enabled me to lose two stone, and a shoulder operation in January this year.
"Nonetheless my reaction was not one of shock. I spent May this year in New Zealand simultaneously having the comedy month of my life, and worrying about why a right-sided limp was now getting worse. Behind the facade of the cheerful, late night comedy festival drunk was a man deeply scared about facing the truth when back in the UK."
The Chase’s Paul Sinha using Parkinson’s battle for comedy
