Paul Sinha from The Chase has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

14 June 2019, 13:14 | Updated: 14 June 2019, 13:24

The Chase star Paul Sinha, who appears on the ITV game show with host Bradley Walsh, has revealed he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Paul Sinha revealed he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease aged 49.

The Chase star, who's also referred to as The Sinnerman, has opened up about his battle with the disease on Twitter.

He tweeted: "I have Parkinson's disease. I will fight this with every breath I have."

Sinha also shared a link to his personal blog, where he details his two-year struggle with the disease and how he was first diagnosed.

He explains: "On the evening of Thursday May 30th, an experienced consultant neurologist calmly informed me that I had Parkinson’s disease," before going on to describe how "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."

In the blog post, Sinha reveals he had to cancel his comedy gig at the Edinburgh Fringe and miss out on the World Quizzing Championships in order to have brain scans.

The honest post also asks that friends, family and fans treat him "exactly the same as before."

What is Parkinson's disease?

According to the NHS, Parkinson's is a condition caused by a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain called the substantia nigra.

What are the signs and symptoms of the disease?

The most obvious sign of Parkinson's is shaking, but other common symptoms include slow movement and stiff, inflexible muscles.

Those who have Parkinson's disease may also experience the following:

- depression and anxiety

- balance problems

- loss of sense of smell

- issues sleeping

- memory problems