Star of The Chase Mark 'The Beast' Labbett splits from cheating wife/cousin

This was one of Herald Entertainment's most read stories in 2019.

The Chase's Mark 'The Beast' Labbett, 53, has split from his cheating wife Katie, 26.

Speaking to The Sun On Sunday, Katie confirmed the break-up and admitted she had found new love with Scott Bate - just weeks after the pair profusely denied claims of trouble in paradise with their age gap love.

In her candid chat, she said: "Mark and I had been talking about separating for some time — we have been drifting for a while. He works away a lot and that's been hard. A lot of people think it's the age difference but we don't see that as the factor."

Mark and Katie, who share a son, live in a £600,000 home in Hereford however they are said to be putting the house on the market.

In a twist in their love story, Mark and Katie are cousins - something they realised about each other three years after they wed in 2014.

Mark said on Loose Women: "It wasn't something we were aware of at the time - it was one of those things that happened."

Now however things have ended in tragedy, as she said: "It's more that we don't have mutual friends, and our lives are just very different. I met Scott by accident, on a night out, and we just clicked. It wasn't intentional, it just happened...

"But Mark always knew — straight from the off I was honest. He knew I was going out and who I was seeing. He was incredibly understanding. If it was anybody else it wouldn't matter, but because Mark's in the limelight people have been gossiping...

"We remain good friends and he is happy for me that I've met Scott — and I'd be fine if he met someone else. So I just want to set the record straight now as I'm sick of all the speculation. I want us all to be able to get on with our lives."

The couple were totally unaware that they were second cousins when they began dating. Katie's dad and Mark's father are first cousins, meaning the pair are second cousins.

Mark said at the time: "I had been a single man for a long while so I was getting used to the idea of being on my own. Especially as a bachelor, we can get pretty selfish, you get used to doing what you want to do all of the time.

"As a couple of my friends pointed out the big challenge for me is learning to adapt with being with someone else."

Mark and Katie tied the knot at Arundel Castle, West Sussex, in October 2014.