The Chase star Mark Labbett reportedly has a new girlfriend. The news comes 15 months after he split from Hayley Palmer.
Mark and Hayley had been dating for a year when the Beast, who turned 60 this week, announced the news he wanted to break up.
Now, Mark has signed up for Celebs Go Dating. And it seems the relationship experts have worked wonders for Mark, who is said to have walked away from the E4 series with a new love.
The Chase star Mark Labbett ‘has a new girlfriend’
Mark and Hayley announced their split in May 2024. It came days after they marked their one-year anniversary with gushing social media posts. Mark subsequently blamed himself and said he’d got “too old” for 44-year-old Hayley.
The Celebs Go Dating relationship experts clearly took that information on board when it came to acting as matchmakers for Mark. They paired him with Deanne Perkins, 57. And it seems their connection was “instant”.
As a result, it’s claimed Mark and Deanne have been quietly dating since filming wrapped.
The series kicked off last week (August 11). But Mark joins the agency in episode 5 if you want to watch their romance play out on screen. The pair follow each other on social media. And, in preview clips from the show, are seen going on a date.
It comes after filming for the show had to be halted after Mark suffered a health emergency.
‘He’s hoping Deanne is The One’
A source told The Sun, 6ft 6in Mark “instantly connected” with 5ft 2in beautician Deanne.
They have reportedly been seen having lunch at the Banyers House Hotel in Royston, Hertfordshire, near where Deanne has her salon.
A source alleged: “Mark and Deanne instantly connected and have been enjoying getting to know each other away from the cameras. Mark discovered a lot about himself through the coaching on the series.
“It’s no secret Mark has not had the best luck when it comes to love so is hoping that Deanne is The One for him.”
Mark’s reps had no comment when contacted about the reports.
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The Beast’s relationship history
Mark Labbett has a pretty complicated relationship history.
Back in 2014, Mark tied the knot with wife Katie. They’d met two years prior when Mark had invited her to watch a recording of the celebrity edition of The Chase. Katie is 27 years younger than Mark. And, after they wed, they discovered they’re actually second cousins.
“It wasn’t something we were aware of at the time – it was one of those things that happened,” Mark admitted during an appearance on Loose Women.
They share a son, Lawrence, seven. However, after Katie met someone else and they pair attempted to have an open relationship, the cracks started to appear and they announced their split in 2020.
Mark Labbett branded a ‘heartless narcissist’ by ex-girlfriend
In 2023, he met Hayley Palmer. However, it all came crashing down for the pair exactly a year after they made things official. Hayley claims Mark dumped her over the phone.
She has since called him a “heartless narcissist“. Her comments came after he spoke out following their split and revealed his reasons for not yet having divorced wife Katie.
“It will happen if either Katie or I get with someone serious — then it might obviously be a different matter,” he said. Hayley fired back: “I think it’s a shame that someone could say something so heartless over a relationship that lasted over a year.”
Now, Mark says of his Celebs Go Dating experience: “I’ll admit, I’m not the most clued-up person when it comes to relationships. So I listened to the experts who were very good.”
Read more: Inside Celebs Go Dating star Nadia Essex’s feud with Eden Blackman following his tragic death
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