Star of ITV's The Chase Mark Labbett has opened up on the unique way he wooed his glamorous 41-year-old girlfriend Hayley Palmer. 57-year-old Mark, who is 16 years Hayley's senior, split from his ex wife Katie, who is also his second cousin, in 2020, claiming that their 27-year age gap and Covid-19 lockdowns were the reasons after seven years of marriage.
The pair, who were together for seven years, share son Lawrence together. Mark was devastated after the split, but found happiness again when he was introduced to Hayley at last year's National Television Awards.
Glamorous blonde bombshell Hayley is no stranger to the screen herself. She is a presenter on Sky TV music Show 'Saturday night with Hayley Palmer'.
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Speaking about the novel way The Beast wooed her on Channel 4 show Steph's Packed Lunch, the presenter said: “I got introduced to him and he was like, ‘Do you know what I’ve got?’.
"And then he whips out his Toby Carvery Gold Card. It totally worked. I was trying to steal it. We had a really good laugh.”
Agreeing the all-you-can-eat card worked a treat, Mark added: “I thought, ‘We’re getting on quite well here — let’s get the big guns out,'" reports The Sun. Mark credits Hayley with giving him a new lease of life after he split with the mum of his son, Katie, in 2020.
The couple were married for six years after meeting on social media in 2010, with the future Mrs Labbett saying she had never heard of The Chase or brain box, Mark. It was only later they discovered they were actually second cousins.
Mark said after the split: “I had been a single man for a long while, so I was getting used to the idea of being on my own." However, fast forward three years and he's happy in his new relationship, insisting the age difference between himself and Hayley doesn't bother him.
However, something he admitted he can see becoming a problem is the physical distance between the couple. Hayley lives in Chelsea, London while Mark resides in Rotherham - 150 miles away, says the Mirror.
Explaining the 'mileage and motorway will get to you at some point' the father-of-one conceded it's probably time he moved down to the capital because his work is here. Mark has been on The Chase since 2009 and is a huge hit with fans.
His appearance has changed dramatically over the years after he dropped a whopping 10 stone following his decision to completely overhaul his eating habits after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2016.
After cutting out sugar and exercising regularly, Mark said he's feeling fitter than ever and "really really wants" to strut his stuff on the dance floor on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.
