Mark Labbett from The Chase says he's "too busy" for a relationship at the moment - but still looks out for ex-wife Katie two years after the couple went their separate ways. Mark, 56, tied the knot with Katie - who is his second cousin - back in 2014 and the couple welcomed a baby son four years later.
But after seven years of marriage, the couple called it quits in 2020, blaming the Covid-19 lockdowns and their 27-year age-gap for the reasons why their relationship wasn't meant to be.
Whilst Mark - known by many as The Beast - remains single, Katie has moved on with new partner Scott - though Mark is still involved in her life and the life of their son, reported The Mirror.
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Speaking to The Sun two years after their split, Mark confirmed that he's not currently dating anyone but still "looks after" his ex-wife and child. "I'm single now. We are separated but we get on really well, we co-parent," he said. "I promised to look after her and I promised to look after my kid."
Mark and Katie met over social media in 2010 - but Katie had never heard of her future beau and didn't have a clue he was a TV star. She previously explained: "I had never heard of Mark, or watched The Chase, but my gran mentioned him so I was intrigued."
The pair eventually started dating in 2012, after Mark invited Katie to watch an episode of The Chase: Celebrity Special. The couple hit it off and were married in 2014 - long before realising they were related.
Appearing on Loose Women previously, Mark said the pair didn't know they were second cousins. "It wasn't something we were aware of at the time - it was one of those things that happened," he said. "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!"
Whilst Mark isn't actively looking for a partner, he says he sometimes has to fight off "young ladies who are only 19 or 20" when he makes appearances at universities and colleges. He's even had to take on a security guard for events, to stop female fans from attempting to grab, grope or assault him.
