The Chase star Mark Labbett has opened up on the end of his relationship with TV presenter Hayley Palmer.
The couple called it quits just days after they celebrated their one year anniversary together, with Palmer announcing on Instagram that they had ‘gone our separate ways’ after having ‘the best year together’, with her wishing him well for the future.
He’d previously said he was a ‘very lucky man’ to be in the relationship, having first won her affections with his Toby Carvery Gold Card.
However, they split after just over a year together and the quiz ace, known as ‘The Beast’ on The Chase, has spoken out about the reason why things didn’t last between them, saying it was because he ‘got old’.
Mark Labbett opened up on why his relationship with Hayley Palmer ended. (Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Speaking to The Sun, the star of The Chase explained why he split up with Palmer as he described her as a ‘lovely lady’.
“She’s a lovely lady and I was very lucky to date her for a year, and as I said… it’s me, I got old,” Labbett said, before he added that he wasn’t looking for another relationship.
“There’s been no one since Hayley, I’m not saying there won’t be another one. But I’m certainly not looking.”
He added that he was ‘quite comfortable without a partner’ and has had a number of offers from other women since he became single, with many of them sliding into his DMs.
The Beast admitted that there were some ‘warning signs’ in some of the messages, which have him going ‘defences to a maximum’. This includes people telling him ‘I’m your number one fan’, which might land him in a Misery type situation.
Labbett said he was ‘quite comfortable without a partner’ and ‘content’ with the single life. (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Saying he was ‘content’ with his current single status, the chaser said he had ‘settled down a little bit’ and was definitely not planning on getting on any of the dating apps.
He said: “I joke I am a shed man – a guy of a certain age that’s quite content being in or out of a relationship – but loves to be spending time on their own.
“It’s primal, I think it goes all the way back to the hunter-gatherers where the man would go off a lot of time on their own.
“To be fair it’s not just men, there are people who actually like their own company.
“I’ve got a friendship group around here where we go out but at the same time, I’ve really loved this summer, just being quietly here etc.”
Palmer announced the news on her Instagram stories on Saturday (25 May), writing: “It is with regret I announce that myself and Mark have gone our separate ways.
“We had the best year together and I truly wish him all the best for the future.
“Off I go to listen to Taylor Swift.”
Labbett, best known as champion quizzer ‘The Beast’ on the ITV quiz show The Chase, had previously said he was a ‘very lucky man’ to be in a relationship with the 42-year-old.
Earlier this month the pair had celebrated a one year anniversary. (Instagram/@hayleypalmer_presenter)
The 58-year-old star had last year said he was ‘very happy’ with her.
“I mean, look at her,” he’d said of his relationship.
“I keep finding myself going, ‘Hang on, we’re actually going out?’.
“I don’t want to make her blush, but 15 years ago I was a maths teacher, I was 29st.
“I’m a very, very lucky man. I’ve got the job I was born to do and, in Hayley, someone to share it all with.”
Labbett had also credited Palmer as one of the reasons behind his weight loss, with the skilled quizzer losing 10 stone and saying that part of it was joining his girlfriend in the gym along with some other lifestyle changes.
Palmer had also said she’d not actually watched The Chase, explaining that she was ‘never in’ when it was actually on the telly, but she had seen Labbett on Beat the Chasers and been very impressed.
The Chase star confirmed that he’d split from his girlfriend. (Instagram/@markthebeastlabbett)
According to The Sun, The Chase star had ‘a lovely time’ with Palmer but the couple ‘wanted different things’ out of the relationship.
They quoted a ‘source’ who claimed: “She loves getting dressed up and going out to parties and showbiz events, whereas he prefers to stay at home.
“Mark felt there was too much of an age gap between them for long-term success. They are still friendly.
“Away from his job on telly and filming, Mark enjoys a quiet life and spending time with his son. He is still hopeful he can meet someone to settle down with one day.”
Labbett had apparently initially wooed Palmer with his Toby Carvery gold card.
On The Chase, Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett is so called because his surname sounds like ‘La Bete’, which is French for his nickname.
The 58-year-old, who before his appearances on The Chase made it onto quiz shows such as Mastermind and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? as a contestant, has been on our screens as one of the ITV show’s quizzers since 2009.
He made the decision to slim down and overhaul his diet after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and has named the three major lifestyle choices he made to slim down.
Speaking to The Sun, Labbett denied that he’d had a gastric band fitted and said he’d been ‘tempted’ but told it’d be ‘useless for me’ as high sugar consumption was a major part of his weight.
The Beast’s weight loss has been met with the approval of his fellow Chasers. (X/@TheShaunWallace)
Gastric bands can make you feel full sooner and mean you cut down on eating, but lots of sugary things don’t really fill you up all that much.
Instead of a gastric band, The Chase star instead went ‘the old fashioned way’ by changing his diet and going to the gym.
He did ultimately end up eating less as part of his weight loss efforts as he explained that people told him they noticed ‘I eat a fraction of what I normally eat’.
Something else that’s helped Labbett is getting to the gym more often, as his partner Hayley Palmer shared videos of him working out.
She wrote that he’d ‘started to come to the gym with me in the mornings’ and the results of his hard work have left The Chase fans stunned.
Labbett has also credited his partner Hayley for helping him get to the gym more often. (Instagram/@markthebeastlabbett)
A better diet and going to the gym aren’t the only things about Labbett’s lifestyle that he reckons have helped, as the quiz show star said his dog Baloo was his ‘personal trainer’.
He explained that having a dog means he’s ‘doing more activity’, and all of it helps.
So there you have it, if you want to shed some weight then eat less, go to the gym more and get a dog that’ll make you have to be up and about.
As for mimicking The Beast’s quizzing ability, that’s going to take a lot more work.
Featured Image Credit: ITV / Instagram/@markthebeastLabbett