The Chase star Matt Labbett – best known as The Beast – has opened up about his split from Hayley Palmer, who was 17 years his junior

Mark Labbett claims his last relationship ended because of his age – and doesn’t think he’ll be finding love again any time soon.

In May this year, the Chase quizmaster, known as The Beast on the hit ITV daytime show, called things off with TV presenter Hayley Palmer just days before after their one-year anniversary. Opening up about their split, Mark revealed he thought he was too old to continue dating.

“She’s [Hayley’s] a lovely lady and I was very lucky to date her for a year, and as I said…it’s me, I got old,” he told the Sun. “There’s been no one since Hayley, I’m not saying there won’t be another one. But I’m certainly not looking.”

Mark joked he’s a “shed man” and enjoys his own company, but isn’t fussed about being in a relationship. “It’s not that I miss anyone in particular, I was single not coincidentally for a long long time when I was a 29-stone maths teacher, who knew it was quite hard to attract a partner then. So I’m quite comfortable without a partner,” he said.

Hayley Palmer previously said she had ‘a panic attack on the spot’ when Mark Labbett called to end their relationship (Image: Instagram/Hayley Palmer )

Mark, at 59, was 17 years older than the Sky TV presenter when he broke up with her, and they’d previously discussed their large age gap. But Hayley was still heartbroken when they split earlier this year, saying: “We had the best year together and I truly wish him all the best for the future.”

Prior to Hayley, Mark was married to his own cousin, Katie, who was also 17 years his junior. The pair had never met growing up so weren’t aware they were second cousins when they met on Facebook in 2010. “It wasn’t something we were aware of at the time – it was one of those things that happened,” Mark previously told the Loose Women panel.

Two years after their Facebook connection, Mark invited Katie to a celebrity special filming of The Chase, and the pair hit it off from there.

Katie also didn’t know Mark was a TV star before they got together. “I had never heard of Mark, or watched The Chase, but my gran mentioned him so I was intrigued,” she previously said. The couple wed at Arundel Cathedral in West Sussex in 2014 and went on to welcome son Lawrence.

Mark was previously married to his second cousin, Katie Labbett(Image: Brett D. Cove / Splash News)

The pair split 18 months after announcing they had an open marriage(Image: Tom Dymond/REX/Shutterstock)

But their marriage hit the rocks in 2018 and they opened their relationship up to other parties, with Katie finding extramarital fun with senior design engineer Scott. Just 18 months later, in 2020, the pair split and Mark moved out of the family home.

Now the newly single quizmaster says he has no plans to couple up again, insisting he’s “content” with his relationship status. “I’m 59 now, I’ve reached the sort of slippers and comfy chair kind of thing. Right now I’m in my PJs and pottering around the place,” he told the Sun.

“I’m settled down a little bit. I am an old man, I might not look it but I am. I’m quite content doing my own thing.”