The Chase star Paul Sinah has opened up on why he carried on performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival despite suffering from two heart attacks during his time there

The Chase star and comedian Paul Sinha has revealed exactly why he continued performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival despite having two heart attacks.

The 55 year-old experienced two heart attacks during the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Due to his medical background, the star noticed the symptoms, and took a taxi to the hospital. Explaining the first one which he experienced while shaking the hand of Levi Roots, told Good Morning Britain he felt “a crushing tightening chest pain.”

“It was like nothing I’d ever felt before but I knew it was cardiac,” he said. Paul then explained how he didn’t want to make a scene, and took a taxi to the hospital instead of an ambulance.

Paul opened up about why he continued working after his heart attacks on GMB

However, it didn’t stop Paul, as he was back on stage the next week. Explaining why, he told GMB hosts Ed Balls and Susanna Reid: “The first time they didn’t diagnose me properly, so they sent me home.” However, after the second time, he was told he’d had two small heart attacks.

Following his second visit to hospital, Paul revealed he asked the doctors if he could “carry on,” to which they responded: “We’re not going to tell you what to do,” and therefore, comedian Paul carried on with his Edinburgh Fringe performances.

However, looking back, Paul says it definitely wasn’t the right thing to do.

Explaining why he chose to, he said: “I know why I did it, because it was the Edinburgh Festival, and I didn’t want to lose a huge amount of money. I didn’t want to cancel the show, but it’s what I should have done.”

Paul joined The Chase as The Sinnerman in 2015

Paul has also candidly spoken about his Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis since 2019. Explaining how he handles his Parkinson’s on the show, he said: “I tell lots of jokes about it. It’s as simple as that.

“You deal with the cards you’ve been dealt, and if you’ve been given a comedy goldmine, as Parkinson’s is, then you deal with it.”

The quiz ace originally experienced sudden and unexplained pain and stiffness in his right shoulder, which he initially dismissed. Despite living his life normally, the persistent discomfort led him to seek medical advice.

After a year of X-rays, scans, injections, and even surgery, all aimed at alleviating his frozen shoulder, the pain persisted.

It was only when additional symptoms emerged that Paul realised this wasn’t an isolated problem but indicative of a larger health issue.