The secret to The Chase star Mark 'The Beast' Labbett's 60kg weight loss revealed

One of the Chase's quiz masters has revealed the motivation behind his weight loss. Photo / @markthebeastlabbett

The Chase's "The Beast" Mark Labbett has revealed the secret inspiration behind his 60kg weight loss.

The quizmaster has put his body transformation down to his golden retriever, even branding him his "personal trainer", reports The Sun.

Labbett, 56, recently opened up about his weight loss journey and said his beloved dog Baloo helped him get into the habit of exercising.

"My wife promised me that when we first got him she would take care of everything – feeding him, walking him and so on," he explained.

"That lasted about two weeks before she decided 'Actually Mark, look at your belly – you need the exercise!'"

The pair bonded instantly, he said.

Labbett said, "I was walking him around the fields, taking me places … I think he's helped a lot, simply because I'm doing more activity."

He has previously spoken about the weight loss that took him from a size 5XL to XL.

"I am gradually dropping Xs off my size. I've gone from 5XL to 4XL and it looks like the next time I go shopping I'll be able to squeeze into XL underpants."

When asked how he managed to lose so much weight, Labbett - who shares a young son with his ex-wife Katie - joked that running around after a toddler non-stop might have something to do with it.

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He said: "The principal thing is running around after a hyperactive toddler when nurseries have been shut. How do you keep up with them?

"I found at the end of the evening instead of going to the fridge for late night snacking, all I could do was collapse on the bed."

He and Katie, who married in October 2014, announced their split in August last year.

At the time Labbett said, "There was never any deceit on Katie's part but it's got to the point now where I realise it is better for us to go our separate ways and remain friendly."