After suffering heartbreak at the hands of his cheating cousin wife, The Chase star Mark Labbett is said to have found love again.
The quiz genius – known on the ITV1 show as ‘The Beast’ – was heartbroken when his nurse Katie, who is his second cousin, started seeing her senior design engineer lover Scott Bate, 30, for 18 months, leading to the end of their romance.
Mark and Katie’s divorce came after seven years of marriage – with the related couple, who have a six-year-old son, blaming lockdown, mental health and their huge age gap as the causes of their marriage ending.
Three years on from the split, it has now come to light that Mark is reportedly dating TV presenter Hayley Palmer after courting the GB News star on a series of dates after being ‘friends for a while’ and now has become ‘public’ with their Love.
So how did The Beast recover from his heartbreak?
New Romance! After suffering heartbreak at the hands of his cheating cousin wife, The Chase star Mark Labbett is said to have found love again
TO PROCEED
Far from holding a grudge, Mark revealed in 2020 that he and Katie had split after their wedding in 2014 and admitted in a candid interview at the time said, “It’s better we go our separate ways,” after the couple’s attempts to have an open marriage failed.
He told The Sun: “There was never any cheating on Katie’s part, but it’s gotten to the point where I now realize it’s better for us to go our separate ways and stay friendly.”
Katie added, “I just want everyone to know what’s what and we’re all happy.”
It has been revealed that Katie, who works as a nurse, has been seeing her senior design engineer, Scott, 30, for 18 months.
On the rise: Mark is recovering from the end of his marriage to a new love
Mark admitted that he felt she was hanging out with Scott, but decided to do things wisely for the sake of their son.
But when the lockdown came things got tense between him and Katie and she started seeing Scott which led to Mark making the decision to end their marriage.
He explained, “When Katie first told me about her boyfriend, I had a hunch. But from the start my attitude was quite pragmatic – this was spilled milk, what can we do to make amends?’
He added that because they had a “family” he could just “throw that lightly” as they had other “considerations”.
Mark and Katie married in October 2014 at Arundel Castle, West Sussex.
In September last year, Mark confirmed he was still with his wife, despite her admission four months earlier that she had cheated on him with a younger man.
About: It comes after Mark split from his wife Katie in 2020 after seven years of marriage (pictured in 2018)
WEIGHT LOSS
After his heartbreak, Mark threw himself into a massive health overhaul, during which he lost a whipping 10th – sparking suspicion among followers.
In February, he revealed that he has been forced to deny having weight-loss surgery after his incredible weight loss. He also revealed that while he was tempted to go under the knife, he instead decided to get fit and healthy the old fashioned way.
Mark, who went from a 5xl to a 2xl, said at the time: ‘I’m not really trying to diet, I’m just being sensible, people say you’ve had the gastric band or band, and I haven’t’.
‘I was tempted by the gastric band but a good friend of mine who is a GP said my problem is sugar, I have a sweet tooth’
“A gastric band is useless to me because sugar breaks down quite quickly, so I’ve been doing it the old-fashioned way by cutting down on food and trying to go to the gym.”
Before: In January last year, Mark revealed he had shed 10 stone (pictured before the 2018 weight loss)
Slim Jim: Mark had to deny having weight loss surgery after his incredible 10 stone weight loss (right, pictured in 2019)
NEW LOVE
In the aftermath of the heartbreak, it has now been reported that he has found love again – with his union with Hayley making headlines.
Sources claim the TV star courted the GB News presenter on a series of dates after being ‘friends for a while’. It is thought that the pair took their romance public this week by enjoying a date on the beach in Portsmouth.
A source told The Sun: ‘They’ve been friends for a while and lately it’s blossomed into something more. Mark and Hayley have been keeping it low key, but this week they went on a day date.
“The beach was busy and there were a lot of people around, but they were both comfortable with people who saw them as a couple, not just friends.”
Hayley, who regularly appears on GB News, hosts shows like At Home With Hayley and Saturday Night With Hayley Palmer, and she met Mark through her television work.
Happy days: Hayley and Mark are pictured together in January