An Enfield man diagnosed with Parkinson’s says he is relieved his identical twin does not have the condition.

Peter Rodriguez is taking part in a Royal Free London study into the genetics of the disease, and says he is shocked his brother Paul appears to be safe.

While Parkinson’s is not usually hereditary, some gene types have been strongly associated with the disease, meaning there had been a strong chance the identical twins would both be at risk.

Peter, who worked as a jazz pianist alongside artists such as Amy Winehouse, said they are incredibly similar in personality and characteristics as well as looks, and were inseparable until Paul moved to the USA 20 years ago

The 47-year-old, diagnosed with Parkinson’s three years ago, said: “We were pretty much two peas in a pod, our friends couldn’t tell us apart. Whatever he had, I had.

“Once we took an exam, sitting at different ends of the hall, and our answers were exactly the same, the teachers were convinced we’d cheated somehow.

“When I was told I had Parkinson’s I immediately thought of my brother and whether he would be going through the same thing.

“I was extremely relieved when I found out he didn’t have it, if I could choose for one of us to have it I would want it to be me, and I know Paul feels the same about me.”

Peter and Paul have joined the Parkinson’s Families Project, led by Professor Huw Morris, at the UCL Institute of Neurology at the Royal Free London Hospital.

Professor Morris said: “The participation of Peter and Paul and similar families is essential for our work.

“We are focussed on understanding the basic steps that lead some people to develop Parkinson's while others are unaffected, and we hope that understanding these mechanisms will in time lead to new treatments that might halt this condition."

Peter, now a teaching assistant, said his symptoms have started to have a significant impact on his life and that he now fears for the future.

He said: “It started off as something that was a bit annoying and then started to affect my ability to do the things I really love, like playing piano.

“I worry for the future and the thought of a 4ft 10 woman having to push me around in a wheelchair.

“I worry that my wife married a husband but I married a carer.

“I joined the research project because I wanted to help the doctors who were helping me - if I have a chance to help eradicate this disease I can’t turn that down.”

“There’s also a part of me that wants to find out why I have it and my brother doesn’t.”

If you have a family history of Parkinson’s and want to help the research, call 020 7794 0500, or email manuela.tan@ucl.ac.uk.