The Chase star Paul Sinha has had a varied carried, from working as a junior doctor to performing stand-up comedy, and now appearing on the beloved ITV quiz show.
However, there’s one thing he admits he’ll never be proud of.
Paul, 54, worked on the comedy circuit for several years alongside working in London and King’s Lynn hospitals.
Drawing on his sexuality and ethnicity, his material comprised many puns and led to solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.
During this chapter, though, Paul also did a series of gigs in the Middle East in the early 2000s.
Reflecting on being a gay comedian in places such as Abu Dhabi and Doha, he opened up to James O’Brien on the LBC presenter’s Full Disclosure podcast.
Paul – who married husband Oliver Levy in 2019 – said he could not ‘justify’ being on stage as he knew that he would’ve been treated differently if he weren’t a Westernertly.
The TV star, born to Bengali Hindu parents, was then questioned about the time in his life when Qatar hosted the World Cup in 2022, given the country’s shocking record on human rights and how homosexuality is illegal there.
Paul told James: ‘I’m lolloping along and then lolloping becomes something more fun as the gigs get better and you start doing gigs overseas.
‘I did gigs in South Africa in 2003, [and] another gig in front of 4,000 people in Johannesburg in 2005.
‘Started doing the Middle East gigs, which is an interesting story in itself because it’s one part of my life I can’t justify.
‘I can’t really justify standing on stage in Dubai and Doha and Abu Dhabi talking openly about being gay, but knowing full well that if I wasn’t a Westerner, I would be possibly thrown in prison for the same viewpoints.’
Paul added: ‘Looking back on it, I can’t justify that pink-washing side of my career.’
By definition, ‘pink-washing’, also known as rainbow-washing or rainbow capitalism, is the marketing practice of using rainbow-themed symbolism in campaigns without lasting or meaningful action to support the LGBTQ+ community.
‘It came up during the World Cup in Doha when Joe Lycett very brazenly criticised David Beckham and then people said, “You’ve worked in the Middle East” and I think you have to own it and go, “Yeah I did and I’m not proud of it”.’
Comedian Joe famously challenged Becks to cut ties with Qatar and end his ambassadorship, for which he was paid millions.
Alas, even after Joe threatened to shred £10,000 in cash should he fail to respond, the stand-up star did not hear back from the footie icon’s team, bringing into question the Unicef ambassador’s reputation.
Paul concluded with a joke: ‘Luckily I didn’t do it for the money, the money wasn’t that great. I did it for the buffets.’
On the subject of money, Paul has previously spoken about the time he cost ITV a fortune after losing weight.
Paul – who joined The Chase in 2011 – has never been shy when talking about his health, having been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2017 and Parkinson’s in 2019.
His diabetes later went into remission when Paul took part in the ITV documentary Diabetes: The Fast Fix, during which he greatly reduced his calorie intake and lost two stone.
However, while it had a positive impact on his personal life, it managed to put the channel out of pocket – oops.
‘I lost plenty of weight, costing The Chase dozens of pounds in replacement suits,’ he revealed.
‘Far more importantly, I successfully put my diabetes in remission,’ he wrote in his book, Once Sinha Lifetime: Comedy, Disaster and One Man’s Quest for Happiness, according to The Mirror.
As for his Parkinson’s diagnosis, Paul has remained defiant despite its debilitating nature and how Parkinson’s affects the brain.
Speaking in 2019, the star released a statement, saying: ‘I will fight this with every breath.’
Paul still regularly appears on our TV screens, showcasing his enviable knowledge alongside fellow Chasers Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, Anne Hegerty, Jenny Ryan, and Darragh Ennis.
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