The Chase star Mark Labbett has found love with TV presenter Hayley Palmer, according to reports.
It comes three years after the 57-year-old quiz master, who goes by the name The Beast on the popular ITV show, ended his seven-year marriage to nurse Katie, who he met online in 2010 and shares a son.
According to an insider, “it is very early days,” but Labbett is already “smitten” with Palmer, who at 41 is sixteen years his junior.
“They have been friends for some time and recently things developed into something more,” the source added to The Sun.
“Mark and Hayley share similar interests and have a lot of fun together.”
Adding: “Although it’s all very new they both feel they have a connection.”
It is believed that they met through work.
He has been on The Chase since 2009 and appeared on US and Australian versions of the show.
Palmer, meanwhile, hosts music shows At Home With Hayley and Saturday Night With Hayley Palmer.
The Standard has contacted a representative for Mark Labbett for comment.
Labbett confirmed that his marriage had ended in 2020, blaming their 27-year age gap and added stress from lockdown.
He also revealed that towards the end of their marriage they had been in an open relationship with the Devon-born personality saying he had agreed to try anything to make it work.
In a bizarre turn of events, the quizzer found out that he and his wife were second cousins after they had tied the knot.
It came to light that Mark and Katie’s dads are first cousins, making the former couple second cousins.
