Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett of The Chase has spoken up about his new relationship with Hayley Palmer, including their first date and the difficulty they’re working through.
The two first met at the National Television Awards in October of last year, and their first talk was over a special Toby Carvery gold card.
The card was presented to a select few people, including Danny Dyer and Chloe Ferry, and appears to allow them to dine at the restaurant for free.
Mark, 57, exploited his card holding as a courting strategy.
‘I thought, “We’re getting on quite well here — let’s get the big guns out”.’
Luckily for him, it worked! ‘I was actually really impressed. I thought, “I haven’t seen this before”,’ recalled Hayley to The Sun.
Hayley, 41, made the first move when she asked him to the Dirty Dancing press night with her in January.
They had a good time, and Mark, who has been on the ITV quiz show since it first aired in 2009, was delighted with how she handled the spotlight on him, albeit he wasn’t sure whether his sentiments were returned.
‘I can’t read women with the aid of a road map. I am utterly useless,’ he admitted.
‘At the end of the evening, I was going, “I really like her but I can’t pick up if she likes me or not”.
‘So I thought, let’s take refuge in honesty and said, “I really like you, is there any chance of another date?”‘
She gladly accepted, and the couple has been dating for six months.
Despite spending so much time getting to know one other, they’ve only gone on a few dates. This is owing to their geographical separation; Hayley resides in Chelsea, while Mark lives in Rotherham.
He is, however, considering relocating to the UK capital, and the two were able to bond when on a vacation to Los Angeles.
Their age difference does not concern him.
‘Obviously, I’m a little bit older than her, but I think it depends on who you’re with. I’d argue I’m a very childish 57,’ he pointed out.
Mark previously married Katie, 31, with whom he had a son, Lawrence.In 2020, he blamed their marriage problems on their 27-year age difference and confinement.
Source My Celebrity Life.