Mark Labbett feared he would ‘die a bachelor’ before finding fame on The Chase and then marrying his second cousin Katie

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Mark Labbett had concerns that he might never marry, as women hadn’t shown interest in him prior to his popularity on The Chase.

For more than two decades, I, a lifestyle expert, have observed the captivating journey of this 59-year-old TV personality. Prior to his electrifying debut as The Beast on ITV’s quiz show in 2009, he led a solitary life. Subsequently, he immersed himself in several significant relationships, enriching his experience and personal growth.

In 2010, he encountered his second cousin, Katie Labbett (age 32), on Facebook. Their relationship started in 2012, leading them to tie the knot in 2014.

They welcomed their seven-year-old son Lawrence in 2018, but Katie and Mark split in 2020.

Following The Beast’s separation from Katie, Mark dated TV presenter Hayley Palmer, 44, in 2023.

Looking back on my personal experiences in May 2024, I found myself ending things with Hayley just three minutes into a phone conversation – right after our first dating anniversary.

Now, Mark is taking part in the E4 dating show Celebs Go Dating.

With assistance from the program’s dating experts – Paul Carrick Brunson, aged 50, Anna Williamson, aged 44, and Dr. Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, aged 36 – he aims to discover his ideal partner.

At the Celebs Go Dating launch party held at The Broadcaster gastropub in White City, West London on July 24, Mark made it clear to BANG Showbiz: “Nowadays, due to the influence of social media, any picture of me with a woman can be misconstrued as a new romantic encounter.

‘With this girl, I said, ‘Sorry about this, I did warn you if you put up that photo.’

‘And I tend to think, ‘Where was all this speculation 20, 25 years ago?’

For more than two decades, I lived as a solitary individual. At certain moments, prior to encountering The Chase, I found myself questioning if I would end my days unmarried.

All of a sudden, I find myself in a romantic relationship. This situation has been beneficial since I can now seek advice from experts about it.

In the year 2020, Katie, who was in a relationship with senior design engineer Scott Bate for 18 months, parted ways with Mark as their experiment with a multi-partner marriage didn’t work out.

Besides pointing fingers at these factors, The Beast acknowledged that their significant age difference (27 years), the COVID-19 lockdown, and his personal mental wellbeing contributed to their ultimate separation.

In 2024, Hayley and Mark parted ways. Initially, Hayley stated that Mark ended their relationship because he didn’t wish to divorce his former spouse. However, Mark later shared with The Sun that the reason for their split was simply due to growing older.

Nonetheless, Mark, who was fifteen years older than Hayley, maintained to BANG Showbiz that he doesn’t have anything negative to say about Katie or Hayley.

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Despite the 15-year age difference between him and Hayley, Mark assured BANG Showbiz that he holds no unfavorable remarks for either Katie or Hayley.

Inquired about his preference between being close in age with someone versus having a large age difference, similar to what he experienced with Katie and Hayley, Mark responded: “I’d put it this way: For some individuals, age matters significantly, while for others, it holds no importance at all.

‘And, ultimately, I think it’s down to the individual relationship.

‘I’ve dated women who are older than me, and I’ve got no problems with it.’

Celebs Go Dating 2025 starts on Monday, August 11, at 9pm on E4.

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2025-08-05 21:06