The Chase star Paul Sinha has hit out at the media for “ghoulish headlines” after speaking about his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s.
For those not in the know, the 53-year-old quiz show host was diagnosed with the degenerative neurological disorder in May 2019.
On Monday, he told Daily Star, “Parkinson’s means I can’t dance anymore … I couldn’t do Strictly (Come Dancing, aka Dancing With the Stars) or anything like that. And I don’t drive anymore. Everything is slower in general. To go to an event, I have to wake up an hour earlier than I otherwise would have done.”
His comments were published by several media outlets, including YorkshireLive, under the headline, “Crippling disease forces The Chase’s Paul Sinha to stop driving”.
The language used in the headline did not go down well with Sinha and he took to Twitter to call out the publication.
“‘Crippling’, ‘Forces’,” he pointed out. “I choose not to drive because my right leg is stiffer than it once was. Save your exploitative, ghoulish headlines for a few years time.
“I’m not crippled, and I’m still fortunate enough to make my own choices. Reporting on disability needs to be truthful,” he added.
“Crippling” “Forces” I choose not to drive because my right leg is stiffer than it once was. Save your exploitative, ghoulish headlines for a few years time. I’m not crippled, and I’m still fortunate enough to make my own choices. Reporting on disability needs to be truthful. https://t.co/QZqm5w1p2H
— Paul Sinha (@paulsinha) July 3, 2023
In his comments to the Daily Star, Sinha said he was living life to the full, with some assistance from his husband Oliver Levy.
“With the pandemic and social media, you are constantly aware that other people are having harder lives than you are. I do what I have to do to improve my quality of life. I don’t consider myself brave – I consider myself practical and pragmatic. I am ploughing on and working as hard as I can,” he said.
