A Worcester man is starring in a television advert for a national charity.

Simon Whincup is one of six people featured in an ad for Parkinson’s UK that is being shown on ITV.

The 41-year-old was diagnosed with Parkinson’s seven years ago after noticing a tremor in his hand.

He would also shuffle his feet, stumble a lot and have restless legs at night.

At the time, Simon worked in a high-pressure job and continued to do so until two years ago when, during the pandemic, he decided to apply for ill-health retirement.

Since then, Simon has opened a local group for people who, like him, are living with young onset Parkinson’s.

“It was a great honour to be asked to be part of the Parkinson’s UK advert as it demonstrates the wide age range of those affected by Parkinson’s,” he said.

“Parkinson’s can affect you in many different ways and sometimes without warning.

“When I was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s I thought it was a condition for older people, not my age group.

'Charity helped me process shock Parkinson's diagnosis'

“I was able to process such a shock diagnosis through the work and information available to me through the Parkinson’s UK website. This helped me to understand how the condition may progress and also had useful information for my family, friends and employer.”

The advert was first broadcast on Monday 26 September during the final episode of The Suspect, which stars Aidan Turner as a psychologist who has recently been diagnosed with the condition and is involved with a murder case.

It will next be shown during Paxman: Putting Up with Parkinson’s, a documentary in which broadcaster Jeremy Paxman reflects on life with the condition 18 months after his diagnosis.

READ MORE: Figures reveal the number of excess deaths in Worcester during Covid pandemic

The documentary will air at 9pm on Tuesday 4 October on ITV 1, ITV Cymru Wales, UTV and STV.

Juliet Tizzard, director of external relations at Parkinson’s UK, says: “We just couldn’t miss the opportunity of Parkinson’s featuring in a TV drama and a high-profile documentary.

“With this often-misunderstood condition firmly in the spotlight, we wanted to let people with Parkinson's and their loved ones know that Parkinson’s UK is here to help and support them.”