The Chase's Mark Labbett says appetite 'switched off' when he lost 10st

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The Chase's Mark Labbett says appetite 'switched off' when he lost 10st
The Chase star Mark Labbett - known as The Beast - has opened up about his weight loss, and how he thinks it impacted his love life before he went on the hit ITV game show
Mark Labbett
(Image: James Gill - Danehouse, Getty Images)
Mark Labbett, known as The Beast on ITV1's The Chase, believes his past weight issues may have impacted his dating life. The 59-year-old quiz master, who once tipped the scales at 29 stone but has since dropped 10 stone, as reported by OK! magazine in March, feels that his size contributed to his lengthy single status.
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He spent over two decades without a significant other before entering into relationships, including his marriage to Katie Labbett, 32, his second cousin, whom he wed in 2014 and separated from in 2020. He also dated TV presenter Hayley Palmer, 44, in 2023, but their relationship ended abruptly in May 2024 with a "three-minute" phone call shortly after celebrating their first year together.
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Speaking to BANG Showbiz at the E4's Celebs Go Dating show launch party at The Broadcaster gastropub in White City, West London, on July 24, Mark reflected: "Prior to being on telly, I would say I've gone from being a beta male to an alpha male in that previously, because you were very heavy and very overweight, you didn't get a lot of dates, which is why I was a single man."
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He noted the change in his romantic prospects since gaining fame: "Suddenly, who knew being on your own TV show means you suddenly get a bit more practice."
When questioned about any concerns that his weight might have been a barrier to finding love, The Beast responded: "Not really. You just got used to that."
Mark Labbett is taking part in the new series of Celebs Go Dating
(Image: BANG Showbiz)
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Mark, who is eager to find his ideal partner on Celebs Go Dating with the assistance of dating experts Paul Carrick Brunson, 50, Anna Williamson, 44, and Dr. Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, 36, has disclosed that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to his significant weight loss.
The television personality, father to seven-year-old Lawrence from his previous marriage to Katie, shared: "One positive about COVID-19 was that I was running after my boy during COVID-19, lost weight.
"And the other thing is, I got what I think was COVID-19 – remember in the early days, you didn't get tested unless you got so ill, you had to go to hospital. And I was ill, but not like that.
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"And to a certain extent, it switched my appetite off, and it's never come back.
"Even now, people who know me go, 'You used to eat about three times that,' and I'd agree with them.
"So that's helped really. I lost about 10 stone."
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Fans can tune into Celebs Go Dating 2025 starting Monday, August 11, at 9pm on E4.