Mark Labbett and Hayley Palmer began dating in 2023. Photo / Instagram @hayleypalmer_presenter
Mark Labbett and Hayley Palmer began dating in 2023. Photo / Instagram @hayleypalmer_presenter
The much-loved star of The Chase, Mark Labbett, and his girlfriend have split after one year together.
The Daily Mail has reported the star, also known as The Beast, 58, started dating Sky Entertainment reporter Hayley Palmer, 42, mid last year. However, just days after celebrating their anniversary, Palmer took to Instagram to share the sad news.
“It is with regret I announce that myself and Mark have gone our separate ways,” she said adding, “We had the best year together and I truly wish him all the best for the future.”
Mark Labbett and Hayley Palmer celebrated their one year anniversary on the beach they first made things official. Photo / Instagram @hayleypalmer_presenter
She signed off, writing, “Off I go to listen to Taylor Swift,” along with a red broken heart emoji.
While Palmer did not reveal why the pair had parted ways, a source close to The Chase star told the Sun, it ultimately came down to their 14-year age gap and claimed Palmer liked to go out to parties while Labbett enjoyed a more laid-back life.
“Mark had a lovely time with Hayley and has a lot of respect for her but they wanted different things. She loves getting dressed up and going out to parties and showbiz events, whereas he prefers to stay at home,” they said.
The source continued to say the age gap was too big to ensure “long-term success” and noted the pair are “still friendly”.
Hayley Palmer announced the news on Instagram. Photo / Instagram @hayleypalmer_presenter
“Away from his job on telly and filming, Mark enjoys a quiet life and spending time with his son. He is still hopeful he can meet someone to settle down with one day.”
The former couple’s one year relationship was mostly long-distance with Labbett living in Rotherham, while Palmer lived in Chelsea.
Speaking about how they made things work, the TV presenter appeared on Loose Women earlier in May where she said, “The good news is we see each other every few weeks, but we make the most of it when we’re together so we get the best of both worlds”.
It is understood the couple met at the National Television Awards in the UK in October 2022 and had since popped up on each other’s social media accounts in the months that followed.
In May last year, Labbett posted a photo with Palmer smiling at the beach. He captioned the image: “At Southsea. Oh I do like to be beside the seaside”.
Mark Labbett and Hayley Palmer spent time in the US together shortly after making things official. Photos / Twitter
“Fish and chips followed by ice cream #simplepleasures.”
UK media outlets later confirmed the pair had made things official and in June, it was revealed Palmer had flown to Los Angeles to join Labbett as he filmed an American version of The Chase as well as another game show, Master Minds.
