TV presenter Hayley Palmer has been left ‘heartbroken’ after The Chase star Mark Labbett broke up with her on Saturday.
Mark, 58, blamed their 14-year age difference for the end of their romance, leaving Hayley, 42, bereft just two days after they celebrated their one-year anniversary with a trip to the beach.
The couple both shared the same photo on Instagram of them both looking loved up by the sea, with Hayley putting her arm lovingly around Mark.
The caption they both shared was written by Hayley and read: ‘One year anniversary – Same Beach, Same Bench 🙂 @marktthebeastlabbett.’
And unaware that anything was wrong, Hayley had written in the comments of Mark’s post: ‘So happy.’
Hayley Palmer, 42, is ‘heartbroken’ following her split from The Chase star Mark Labbett, 58, as he blamed the 14-year age gap for the breakup, despite celebrating their anniversary two days earlier
Unaware that anything was wrong, Hayley had written in the comments of Mark’s post on Thursday: ‘So happy’
Hayley confirmed the news of their split on her Instagram Stories on Saturday: ‘It’s with regret I announce that me and Mark have gone our separate ways’
But then the split shocked fans on Saturday when Hayley announced it was all over between them
She wrote: ‘I regret to announce that me and Mark have gone our separate ways.
‘We have had the best year together and I sincerely wish him all the best for the future.’
She added, “I’m going to listen to Taylor Swift,” with a broken heart emoji.
A source said The sun: ‘Mark had a nice time with Hayley and has a lot of respect for her, but they wanted different things.
‘She likes to dress up and go to parties and showbiz events, while he prefers to stay at home.
‘Mark felt there was too much of an age difference between them for long-term success. They are still friendly.
‘Aside from his work in television and filming, Mark enjoys a quiet life and spends time with his son. He is still hopeful that one day he can meet someone he can settle down with.”
Quizzer Mark, 58, is best known as The Beast in the iTV game show The Chase
Ahead of their anniversary celebration last week, Mark had spoken about what he had planned for their date on the special day
Mark, known as The Beast on The Chase, and Hayley spoke about their one-year anniversary during an appearance on Loose Women earlier this month.
The couple, who met through work, said not seeing each other as often meant they felt their bond was stronger.
He said: ‘Because we live quite apart – I live in Sheffield, Rotherham, she’s a Chelsea girl – we tend to look at our diaries and see if we can sync up together.
‘The good news is that we see each other every few weeks, but when we are together we make the most of it so we get the best of both worlds.’
Hayley added: ‘The good news is that we see each other every few weeks but we make the most of it when we are together so we get the best of both worlds.
“We don’t see each other and then I think: ‘We’re actually really looking forward to getting together…'”
Hayley playfully elbowed Mark before he finished, “…And don’t share our chips!” And the audience roared with laughter.”
Prior to their anniversary celebration, Mark spoke with The sun about what he had planned for their date on the special day.
He said: ‘We found a bench in a quiet spot on the beach and spent hours talking and getting to know each other, so we decided to go back to celebrate our anniversary.
‘It just so happens that there’s a nice Beefeater near where her parents live. They already know Hayley’s order: nachos and chips.’
Hayley said at the time that she couldn’t wait for the date and that she would make their anniversary last ‘a month’ if she could.
The pair had been dating since early 2023, with Mark previously admitting he was ‘a very lucky man’ to be with her.
Sources claimed the star wooed the TV presenter on a series of dates after he had been ‘friends’ for some time, following his split from wife Katie in 2020.
Hayley previously admitted to Good Morning Britain: ‘I don’t watch The Chase, no offense but I’m never in at 5pm.
The pair had been dating since early 2023, with Mark previously admitting he was a ‘very, very lucky man’ to be with her
A source said: ‘Mark likes to stay in, while Hayley prefers to go out,’ which is part of her career
In a further blow, a source said: ‘He is still hoping that one day he can meet someone he can settle down with’
‘I came to see Beat The Chasers and he got everything right and I thought, “Wow, that’s really sexy”.’
Mark admitted the relationship had problems due to the distances between them, with him living in Rotherham while Hayley lives in London.
Speaking about the long distances, he said: ‘We consult our diaries a lot, so for example we’ve both worked out that we’ll be in Southampton for a few nights next month, so we’ve arranged a few dates while we’re down there.’
Hayley added: “I think sometimes it’s healthy. When you meet someone it’s too much too soon, but we’re both really looking forward to seeing each other again in a few weeks.’