The Chase’s Anne Hegerty shares touching update on co-star Paul Sinha’s Parkinson’s battle

In a heartwarming display of support, The Chase star Anne Hegerty has praised fellow quizmaster Paul Sinha for his resilience following his Parkinson’s diagnosis.

On Monday night, July 31, the 63-year-old took to the red carpet of the National Reality TV Awards to represent the hit ITV quiz show.

The popular show secured the title of Best Game Show, with Hegerty walking away with the award for Best Presenter.

 

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While speaking to the press, The Governess said that Sinha, despite his health battle, was the best quizzer on the show.

“I’d say the best quizzer out of all of us is Paul. He won the British Champions a few years ago, he’s very good indeed,” she said.

“Parkinson’s isn’t slowing him down, he seems fine. He’s on medication.

“His husband is very helpful and comes to work with him and helps him dress so he’s got the support.”

Sinha received the heartbreaking news in May 2019, at the age of just 49.

Sinha revealed that his path to diagnosis was a long one which started in September 2017 when he suffered a frozen right shoulder, which then led him to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes before undergoing a shoulder operation in January 2019.

However, things took a turn for the worse after a trip to New Zealand, when Sinha said he noticed his right-sided limp was getting worse.

Limping is a common symptom of Parkinson’s disease, due to the muscles becoming stiff and inflexible, as well as involuntary shaking (tremors) of parts of the body and slow movement.

The beloved Chaser had previously admitted to feeling depressed following his diagnosis, sharing that he was on the road to “emotional recovery” and was constantly reminding himself of the good things in life.

Months after receiving his diagnosis, Sinha took to his personal blog to write a lengthy and raw post about what he was going through. He explained that while he’s not usually an emotional person, his battle to date with Parkinson’s has tested him and confessed he is still learning to live with the disease.

“A lot of people don’t get over emotional,” Sinha wrote.

“It’s not for me. As I get used to this new life, I treasure the things that remind me that most of the time life is great. Love is a Bourgeois Construct by the Pet Shop Boys; Fleabag’s sister finally doing the right thing; bacon and egg baguettes; Steve Cram’s commentary on Kelly Holmes’ first Olympic gold; The Chase contestant who gave Bradley a lecture on the lammergeier; sporting miracles.”