Beat The Chasers love lives from married cousins to fake relationships
While they're known for their brainy exterior and quizzing prowess fans of The Chase may be surprised to learn that there's more to The Chasers than meets the eye.
While they clearly spend much of their spare time swatting up on their general knowledge they still find time to have rich personal lives and haven't been without their relationship dramas. With the growing popularity of the show we've seen many of The Chasers branching out into other areas such as reality TV with Anne Hegarty taking part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and Paul Sinha joining the cast of Celebrity Gogglebox.
Here we take a look at your favourite quiz experts and what they get up to romantically behind the scenes when they're not studying to beat the contestants, including one brainiac's marriage to his cousin and the show's host Bradley Walsh's long-lasting romance to his wife.
Jenny Ryan - 'The Vixen'
Jenny has always been a fan favourite Chaser (Getty Images)
It's unclear if The Vixen is still in a relationship (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Jenny has been starring on the show since 2015 but has mainly kept her private life to herself but did briefly mention a boyfriend on social media back in 2016. She wrote on Twitter : "My boyfriend is shark phobic but dog-obsessed so I am showing him all #BarkWeek pics to help him get over his fear. Cheers x," as she shared photos of her dog dressed in a shark outfit. She hasn't mentioned her partner since so it's not clear if the couple are still together.
Mark Labbett - 'The Beast'
Mark and Katie discovered they were cousins on their wedding day (PA)
The Chase star has managed to find love again (Instagram/hayleypalmer_presenter)To say original chaser Mark has had a complicated love life could be a bit of an understatement. Having joined the show in 2009 fans have recently seen him undergo a body transformation, but behind the scenes he's had quite the ride too. He previously talked about his marriage with ex-wife Katie who he met through Facebook. The couple tied the knot in 2014 but on their wedding day found out that they were in fact second cousins - with his and her dad being first cousins.
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Mark previously told the Loose Women panel: "It wasn't something we were aware of at the time - it was one of those things that happened." The pair later welcomed a baby son called Laurence, however their relationship came to an end with them divorcing in 2020, with the blame for their split falling on their 27-year age gap and the Covid-19 lockdown.
They have remained on good terms and co-parent their son happily. Since the end of their marriage Mark has found love again with TV presenter Hayley Palmer who he met at the NTAs, with the ITV quiz star showing off his new relationship to his fans on social media over recent weeks.
Bradley Walsh
Bradley has been happily married since 1997 (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)With almost 40 years on the fame clock, The Chase host Bradley Walsh is something of a national treasure. But behind the glitz and glamour of his game shows, the Watford-born star lives a quiet life, tucked away in a corner of Essex with his wife, Donna Derby, and their son Barney.
Donna, who is a choreographer and former professional dancer, once appeared in a music video for Robert Palmer's hit, Simply Irresistible. She first met Bradley in 1992 and they tied the knot in 1997.
Anne Hegerty - 'The Governess'
Ann has admitted she struggles with relationships (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The star says she prefers the single life (Dave Benett/Getty Images)Anne has been quite open about her love life since she first appeared on the chase back in 2010. When she appeared on The Chaser's Road Trip, Anne admitted being autistic and that the condition has it's impact on her ability to be in a relationship. She said: "I'm just not good with the sort of amount of attention that people need."
During her appearance on I'm a Celeb she also discussed relationships with fellow contestant John Barrowman and when he asked if she had a partner she replied: "No I don't. When I was working out that I was autistic it clarified a lot of things for me and one of those things was, 'That's why I never seem to be able to make it work, that's why I always feel claustrophobic in a relationship.' That's why I kind of think that's probably not intended for me."
Anne was previously forced to deny being married after someone repeatedly edited her Wikipedia page to say she had a husband named Jake Hester. Anne was also forced to speak out against rumours that she was married, after her Wikipedia page reported that she had a husband called Jake Hester.
Speaking about it previously she said: "I used to go into my page to change things like where I was born and my hometown but I've stopped bothering now. It still claims I'm married to someone called Jake Hester! I seriously don't know who he is."
During a past chat with The Sun Anne opened up further on her past relationships and sex life. She said: “The longest was with a man I met at the Mastermind Club. I’d fancied him for years and we were together for four months. Sex was always better in my head, I felt like I was somewhere else while it was happening. It made me realise I needed space both mentally and physically in life, and I can’t make it work. I don’t think I ever will. I still get attracted to people but having a relationship isn’t fair on the other person."
In 2021, she told The Mirror being single is "brilliant," adding: "I still get attracted to people, but there’s no point in pursuing it."
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Shaun Wallace - 'The Dark Destroyer'
Shaun has denied a fictional marriageBarrister Shaun was also an original Chaser joining the show in 2009. While he has remained private he did bite back after rumours circukated that he was married to a woman named Martha.
During a special edition of Loose Women called Loose Men in 2022 he said: "I mean I’ve never been married. Although, according to Wikipedia I was married to a woman called Martha for about 30 years!"
Shaun added: "Marriage is not for everybody but I think as far as marriage is concerned, it’s a wonderful institution that still should be part of our everyday society. But, you don’t have to get married in order to be in a loving, committed and honest relationship."
Paul Sinha - 'The Sinnerman'
Paul and husband Oliver are Celebrity Gogglebox regulars (Channel 4)Paul Sinha became part of The Chase family back in 2011 and has often spoken about his marriage to husband Oliver Levy. Paul started dating Oliver in 2016 - and previously admitted that his dad found out about their romance when he bumped into them in a supermarket.
He tweeted a photo of his father with Oliver and captioned the post: "2016, two months into dating, we got to Sainsburys. Me 'be prepared, we might bump into my Dad and he doesn't know about you' Then..." Paul proposed to Oliver in 2019 and previously told Loose Women how he decided to pop the question after a "drunken epiphany".
He said: "It was over Christmas, I was drunk. I had a drunken epiphany that I wanted him to be part of my family officially rather than just unofficially. Plus, it's nice to have your day in the sun, a day that's just about you two."
The couple - who now appear as regulars on Celebrity Gogglebox - are now regulars on Celebrity Gogglebox on Channel 4. Paul also told Loose Women how Oliver has supported him since he was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. He said: "I have to wake up, find the shirt and then wake Oliver up and say put the shirt on for me. My husband Oliver is quite calm and pragmatic person. He doesn't panic about things. He has been a great support."
Darragh Ennis - 'The Menace'
Darragh is happily married with two children (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Darragh starred as a contestant on The Chase in 2017, before becoming a Chaser in 2021. The Irish star has kept his private life under wraps until recently when he told how his mother-in-law gave ribbed him over getting dance lessons while speaking to RSVP Live about the prospect of being a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing
He said: "I got lessons for my wedding and after my first dance, my mother in law said to me, ‘I thought you got lessons?’, so that was how much of an improvement I had! I can’t dance. Something like Strictly would be way out." During the chat he also revealed how he and his wife met when they were studying for their PhDs at Maynooth University, Ireland. The couple have two children.
The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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