The Chase star Mark Labbett SPLITS from cheating wife Katie

12 May 2019, 08:31 | Updated: 12 May 2019, 08:39

The breakdown of the ITV quizmaster's marriage comes just weeks after it was revealed his 26-year-old wife had been cheating on him with lover Scott Bate

The Chase star Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett has split from his cheating wife, according to reports.

The 52-year-old TV quizmaster’s separation from Katie, 26, comes just weeks after it was revealed she had been cheating on him for over a year with a younger man.

Addressing the breakdown of her marriage and admitting she’s moved on with lover Scott Bate, 28, Katie told The Sun on Sunday: “Mark and I had been talking about separating for some time — we have been drifting for a while. He works away a lot and that’s been hard.”

“A lot of people think it’s the age difference but we don’t see that as the factor.

“It’s more that we don’t have mutual friends, and our lives are just very different.”

Katie, who is said to have gone on holiday with metal worker Scott whilst still married to her brainbox husband, explained that she and Mark “remain good friends” despite her new relationship.

The couple, who share a young son, are putting their £600,000 Hereford home up for sale following the split.

Their decision to separate reportedly comes after pictures were uncovered of artist Katie and new boyfriend Scott on a date.

She continued: "I met Scott by accident, on a night out, and we just clicked. It wasn’t intentional, it just happened. But Mark always knew — straight from the off I was honest.

"He knew I was going out and who I was seeing. He was incredibly understanding. If it was anybody else it wouldn’t matter, but because Mark’s in the limelight people have been gossiping. It’s frustrating.

"We remain good friends and he is happy for me that I’ve met Scott — and I’d be fine if he met someone else.

"So I just want to set the record straight now as I’m sick of all the speculation. I want us all to be able to get on with our lives."

Last month reports of Katie’s secret relationship with Scott surfaced, claiming the couple had enjoyed a string of pub dates and even a holiday together.

A source revealed that Mark’s wife of five years had been dating Scott since 2017, however the 28-year-old metal worker has since removed pictures of Katie from his Facebook account.

In a dramatic twist of events, it was also revealed that the popular quiz guru and his wife are in fact second cousins – Mark’s father is the cousin of Katie’s father.

The ITV Chaser dropped the family bombshell in an interview three years after he married Katie at Arundel Castle, West Sussex, in October 2014.

He told Loose Women: "It wasn't something we were aware of at the time - it was one of those things that happened."