Inside The Chase's Mark Labbett's 'open' marriage to his cousin - and reason they split

dailystar.co.uk:

Mark Labbett has opened up about his divorce and his life away from The Chase, as he has now moved on to set up a bachelor pad near London.With his quiz life on the ITV show and big brain he has become a well-known face, with fans interested in the love life of "The Beast", something he normally keeps quiet about.The challenge for Mark, 56, is now adjusting to single life, before getting back on the dating wagon.

He told The Sun: "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."Mark, 56, has also revealed details of his divorce and slightly unconventional love life, saying he is now too busy for a relationship.Star of ITV's The Chase Mark Labbett, known as 'The Beast', married his second cousin Katie in 2014 and they had a son together, Lawrence, who is now four.The pair met in 2010 through Facebook but hit it off properly in 2012 when Mark brought Katie to a Chase celebrity special.Katie said: "I had never heard of Mark or watched The Chase, but my gran mentioned him so I was intrigued."Mark and Katie's dads are first cousins, but on Loose Women, The Beast confirmed the two did not know they were related until after their beautiful castle-held wedding.The Chaser: "It wasn't something we were aware of at the time - it was one of those things that happened."Mark Labbett and his ex-wife Katie got divorced after suffering problems in their open marriage, such as the age difference between them.The pair divorced after calling it quits in 2020, but Mark said he still gets on "really well" with Katie, 27 years his junior, who began dating boyfriend Scott when they were.