Mark Labbett defends Anne Hegerty's The Chase replacement after 'quiet' show debut

express.co.uk:

The Chase star Mark Labbett has spoken out in defence of Issa Schultz, who stepped in to replace Anne Hegerty on the show while she was ill with Covid.

Mark detailed the reason for the Australian quizzer's “quiet” debut on the show on social media yesterday.Mark, 56, defended Issa, 38, in view of his 158,700 Twitter followers last night.He wrote: “In case you think @Issa25 is quiet, he got off the plane from Australia a few hours before we recorded this.”He then added the hashtags #jetlag and #BeatTheChasers.Fan favourite Anne, 63, was notably missing from Monday’s Beat The Chasers due to being ill with Covid.The Governess has been due to take part in the latest series of the show, but was unable to take part in filming after testing positive for the virus.Anne’s spot was not left vacant for long, however, as it was filled by Issa, who is a Chaser on Australia’s version of the show.Across the sea his nickname is the “Supernerd”, suggesting he is a force to be reckoned with.Mark’s followers took to the comments section to share their thoughts on Anne’s temporary replacement.“Is that why he wasn't selected a lot today?

To give him some time to settle in?” B Grayson asked.“Fair enough. I hope the Governess is okay and we definitely missed her tonight,” wrote Sebster.While Chloe commented: “Aww bless you Issa come this far and recording starts at least you had a great time with the others.” (sic)“I like him, he seems really sweet and lovely,” wrote Sarah.“I'd love to have a ball fight with Issa in a giant ball pit - he seems like so much fun,” added Emily.Rachel Griffin penned: “I thought he came across really well!