Jeremy Paxman and The Chase’s Paul Sinha are set to open up about their Parkinson’s symptoms in a new ITV documentary about the disease.
The former University Challenge host revealed his diagnosis last year, confirming that he was ‘receiving excellent treatment’ and suffering with ‘currently mild’ symptoms.
The upcoming documentary Paxman: Putting Up with Parkinson's will follow the broadcaster as he chats to other celebrities living with the illness as well as the leading experts in the area.
One in 37 people in the UK will be diagnosed in their lifetime and Paxman investigates and busts some of the myths surrounding the illness.
In a preview clip, he is seen sitting down with Chaser 'The Sinnerman' in a pub, as the pair reflect on how it has impacted them.
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ITV)Sinha, who has had Parkinson’s for four years, explains he had started ‘limping’ when he was formally diagnosed.
He tells Paxman: “I used to be a doctor and the words ‘shuffling gait’ are very familiar to me from my student days as a classic sign of Parkinson’s but yet it never really occurred to me that was exactly what I had.”
While Sinha was aware of what Parkinson’s was at the time of his diagnosis, Paxman shares that he ‘didn’t know at all’ when diagnosed.
Sinha replies: “It’s a much more complicated disease than people give it credit for, isn’t it? “Everyone associates it with the tremors, but at the moment the tremors are not really part of my diagnosis. For me, it's the tightness and slowness of movement.”
The pair then compare the movement of their hands, to see how slowly their fingers touch one another, as Sinha shows his right hand is particularly tight.
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ITV)Paxman then notes that Sinha does not have the ‘Parkinson’s face’, a common symptom, which can result in a mask-like expression that appears to lack emotion.
Sinha replies: “Not yet. Although, when I look at myself on television I am definitely less expressive than I was. I’m not as smiley as I used to be.
“Every morning when I go to brush my teeth, I scrunch my eyes up, blow out my cheeks.”
Slightly dubious, Paxman describes that as ‘just making a silly face’, to which Sinha says: “No, it's part of the neurological test. Make sure it all gets regular exercise. Our face is capable of many things.”
Paxman then asks if he can think of any positive aspects of the disease, to which the Chaser says: “I think it teaches us to make sure you embrace and treasure things you are meant to embrace and treasure. It’s been an action-packed next stage of my life.”
Paxman: Putting up with Parkinson’s airs Tuesday, 4th October at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub
