03-06-2025
The Chase star Anne Hegerty, aka The Governess, reveals new career move away from the popular quiz show
The Chase star Anne Hegerty — known to millions of people around the world as 'The Governess' — will step away from the popular quiz show to star as The Fairy Rose in a stage production of Beauty And The Beast.
Hegerty, 66, announced she would be taking up the role during the Christmas festive period over December and January at the Scarborough Spa in the UK.
The character of Fairy Rose stems from the Enchanted Rose in Disney's 1991 animated movie and 2017 live action film, which acts as a clock for the Beast — each petal fall is an indication of the time he has left to find his true love and break his curse.
The multi-talented quiz show star is no stranger to the stage and has previously appeared in a production of Beauty And The Beast, among other pantomines, musicals and plays.
Hegerty — who has appeared on The Chase UK and The Chase Australia — will return to the quiz show after her latest stint on stage.
On Tuesday, Hegerty spoke to Sunrise hosts Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington about how she came to be a quiz master.
'I was finding (life a bit) difficult,' Hegerty said of her time before joining The Chase UK in 2010, when she had been working as a newspaper journalist and proofreader, struggling financially, and was on disability and housing benefits.
'I was a good proofreader (but) I was finding it difficult to keep up with the admin, I was spiralling a bit.
'I happened to accidentally discover there was a high-level quizzing circuit in the UK. I joined it.
'I started doing really well just at the time when The Chase had just filmed the first series, just 10 episodes, with only Mark (Labbett aka The Beast) and Shaun (Wallace aka The Dark Destroyer).
'They were thinking they were going to want a female chaser. I came on the scene at the right time.'
Hegerty said she was initially called The Headmistress, before being renamed The Governess.
'Our UK host started to refer to me as The Governess. I said to producers I'd rather be called that,' she said.
'The thing about a headmistress is that she can't do everything she wants — she's got to answer to the board of governors and so on,' Hegerty explained, adding that The Governess is more like Mary Poppins.
'I want to be Mary Poppins. Really fierce.'
Hegerty, who was diagnosed with Asperger's at age 45, said she's always wanted to be famous, even as a child.
'I wanted to be famous as I thought maybe I'd be a writer or maybe I'd illustrate children's books. I'm not remotely a good enough artist to do that,' she said.
'I just always thought you know, I want to be famous for something.'
