Mark Labbett

MARK Labbett has hinted that he could quit The Chase after revealing he’s open to new job offers.

The star has become one of the most popular faces from the ITV quiz show and has even starred on both the American and Australian versions.

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But The Beast has now cast doubt on if he will remain with the show by confirming he would quit the “part-time” gig for something more permanent.

The quizzer and TV personality made the confession as he attended the National Television Awards.

Mark said: “I take great pride in being, as I modestly put it, the best Chaser in the world…

“I love my job.”

But he then quickly added to the Daily Express: “At the same time – it’s a part-time gig.

“I won’t deny it if I’m lucky enough to get a good offer somewhere else for a full-time gig.

“But until that time, I’ll keep working.”

He further hinted that he would be open to taking on more opportunities on international versions of the show.

Mark added: “I love doing The Chase in Australia and America – and who knows – maybe New Zealand, maybe.

“They keep sending me, as I’m good at my job.”

Mark recently spread his wings away from The Chase after signing up to find love on E4 reality show, Celebs Go Dating.

However, his mission was unsuccessful as Mark left the programme single.

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Celebs Go Dating descended into a tense row on Wednesday’s episode as The Chase star Mark Labbett insulted dating expert Paul C. Brunson

Celebs Go Dating descended into a tense row on Wednesday’s episode. The hit E4 dating show is this year following the likes of Kerry Katona, S Club singer Jon Lee and Celebrity Big Brother’s Donna Preston amongst a host of others on their quest for love.

Champion quizzer Mark Labbett, who is best known for showcasing his knowledge on The Chase, has recently struck up a connection with beautician Deanne, and it shows no signs of stopping now.

In the latest episode, the pair were invited to a brunch where they had to tell the others what they thought of each other. Mark said: “We thought we’d get on, it’s been great and we are just seeing how it goes!” Both parties confirmed they would like to go on another date with one another.

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But things took a sour turn when Mark, 60, turned to the dating experts Paul C. Brunson, Anna Williamson and Dr. Tara Suwinyattichaiporn to claim that he had known better than them all along.

He said: “We have just enjoyed each other’s company and sometimes there’s a little bit of overthinking it. We’ve not been the master strategists that you are, but, let’s face it, we’re smarter than you!”

Paul did not take kindly to the comment and things turned tense as he shot back: “Do you know why you always insult us? Because your emotional intelligence is on zero.”

Mark hit back sarcastically: “Sorry, but I’m nice to the people that count!” Paul would not let it drop and said: “When you get nervous, you insult people,” and Mark joked: “No just you!” and tried to say that it was some kind of ‘teaching response’.

Paul continued to lay into Mark but as the TV quizzer checked his watch to indicate boredom, Paul raged: “What you did right there, that’s contempt. You wanna be a teacher? Try being a damn student first!”

Things seemed to simmer down a bit when Mark, who previously dated TV presenter Hayley Palmer before she claimed he had split up with her on the phone, and prior to that was married to his second cousin Katie, 34, apologised for what he said.

In a confessional, Mark said: “I’ve upset Paul. I didn’t mean to but I don’t like talking about my feelings, especially in front of a lot of people.”

Back at the brunch, Mark eventually said: “I’m sorry,” but Paul demanded to know whether his apology was ‘genuine’. Mark said: “It is!” and the pair agreed to put it behind them.

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The Chase star and quizzer Mark Labbett is said to have become so frustrated at filming E4 show Celebs Go Dating that he stormed off set leaving show bosses scrambling

Celebs Go Dating was reportedly thrown into chaos when The Chase’s Mark Labbett became so fed up he stormed off the set. The professional quizzer, aka The Beast, turned to the E4 dating experts for help in his love life.

He joins Atomic Kitten’s Kerry Katona, Too Hot To Handle’s Louis Russell, Love Island All Stars’ Olivia Hawkins and S Club 7 star Jon Lee. Mark, 58, has had a rocky love life having tied the knot with second cousin Katie in 2014 but called it quits after six years.

He then dated TV host Hayley Palmer and the pair appeared head over heels for each other however, the couple split after just one year together. Despite wanting to find love again, it seemed things became a little too intense for Mark on the dating show.

According to reports, Mark was far from pleased when filming began on the series, and things took longer than he had expected. The quizzer got so frustrated he reportedly “threw a strop” and walked off set.

“It was a really long day, around 11 hours, and none of them expected it to go on for so long,” a source told the Sun. “The others put up with it, but Mark isn’t one to hide what he was feeling. He made it clear he’d had enough and stormed out, leaving filming altogether.”

Bosses are said to have had to scramble behind the scenes over the future of the series, leaving everyone “really stressed”. Thankfully, Mark took time away from the situation and after a good sleep he returned refreshed for another day of filming.

However, it wasn’t the first time Mark had reportedly shared his frustrations at the show. He is said to have shockingly dozed off while out on a date as he was so bored.

A source told the publication: “Mark was yawning a lot and drifted off briefly. It was a bit of an awkward moment. It’s safe to say there wasn’t much of a spark between them.”

Mark blamed his age on the reason for his split from Hayley and said he was “lucky to date her for a year”. Opening up on his live life previously, he told the paper: “I was single, not coincidentally, for a long, long time when I was a 29st maths teacher who knew it was quite hard to attract a partner then. So I’m quite comfortable without a partner.”

The TV star also reflected on his new “content” single life, yet his comments seemed to rile ex Hayley as she branded them “heartless”. Taking to Instagram, she told fans: “I think it’s a shame that someone could say something so heartless over a relationship that lasted over a year.

“I have moved on and working to be the best version of myself. I think what is actually serious is Mental Health and we should all be working together towards a caring Christmas. X.”

Her response appeared to be aimed at Mark saying he is “quite content” on his own as he branded “people complicated”. Hayley had announced their last year, taking to social media to reveal: “It is with regret I announce that myself and Mark have gone our separate ways.

“We had the best year together, and I truly wish him all the very best for the future.” She went on to reveal she was turning to music to try to lift her spirits, writing: “Off I go to listen to Taylor Swift” accompanied by a broken heart emoji.

The Mirror has contacted Mark’s representative and Channel 4 for comment.

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