The Chase star Mark Labbett, also known as The Beast, recently split from his girlfriend Hayley Palmer just a few weeks after they marked their one-year anniversary

The Chase star Mark Labbett, also known as The Beast, recently split from his girlfriend Hayley Palmer (Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The Chase’s brainbox Mark Labbett, also known as The Beast, recently parted ways with his girlfriend Hayley Palmer after a year together.

The 58-year-old quiz master reportedly ended the relationship shortly after celebrating their first anniversary with a simple Beefeater pub meal and a romantic beach stroll.

A representative for the ITV star confirmed the split, stating: “I can confirm that Mark and Hayley have split. He won’t be making any further comment at this time.”

Hayley herself took to Instagram late last month to share the sad update, 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 very best for the future.” With a broken heart emoji, she concluded: “Off I go to listen to Taylor Swift.”

The Chase’s brainbox Mark Labbett, also known as The Beast, recently parted ways with his girlfriend Hayley Palmer after a year together(Image: (Image: Getty))

Mark Labbett and his ex-wife Katie tied the knot in 2014 (Image: (Image: Getty))

Meanwhile, an insider spilled to The Sun: “Mark had a lovely time with Hayley and has a lot of respect for her but they wanted different things. She loves getting dressed up and going out to parties and showbiz events, whereas he prefers to stay at home.”

They added, according to the Express: “Mark felt there was too much of an age gap between them for long-term success. They are still friendly. When he’s not on the telly or filming, Mark enjoys a quiet life and cherishes time with his son. He remains optimistic about finding someone to settle down with in the future.”

Mark’s most recent breakup comes three years after his marriage to his ex-wife Katie ended; she was 17 years younger than him. They first crossed paths on Facebook in 2010. However, it wasn’t until 2012 when sparks started to fly after Mark invited her to a celebrity special of the show.

Katie confessed: “I had never heard of Mark, or watched The Chase, but my gran mentioned him so I was intrigued.” The pair went on to say ‘I do’ in 2014 and eventually had their son together. They’ve both firmly maintained that they had no idea about their second cousin relationship with Mark and Katie’s father being first cousins.

During a chat on Loose Women, Mark revealed: “It wasn’t something we were aware of at the time it was one of those things that happened.” Approximately a year and a half prior to their separation in 2020, Mark and Katie decided on an open marriage.

In conversation with The Sun, Mark previously discussed the circumstances leading up to this arrangement: “When Katie first came clean to me about her boyfriend, I’d had an inkling. But right from the start, my attitude was quite pragmatic – this was spilt milk, what could we do about the situation to make it OK? We had a family. We couldn’t just throw that away lightly. There were other considerations.”

Their relationship officially came to an end in August 2020. Despite their split, Mark reassured there was “never any deceit” and has since maintained that they have a positive relationship and co-parent “really well”.

A version of this story was first published on March 6.