Inside The Chase star Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett’s open marriage to wife Katie

The Chase star Mark Labbett has discussed details of his open marriage to wife Katie.

The 55-year-old Chaser – best known to fans of the quiz show as The Beast – has now announced his split from his 28-year-old wife.

Mark first met his second cousin Katie in 2010 after speaking on Facebook.

They became a romantic couple in 2012 and went on to become engaged the following year and then marrying.

During their marriage, Katie began a relationship with senior design engineer Scott, 20, around 18 months ago.

Speaking to The Sun about the arrangement the pair had in their marriage, Mark detailed how the open relationship came about.

Mark said: “When Katie first came clean to me about her boyfriend, I’d had an inkling.

“But right from the start, my attitude was quite pragmatic — this was spilt milk, what could we do about the situation to make it OK?

“We had a family. We couldn’t just throw that away lightly. There were other considerations.”

Mark cited the Covid-19 pandemic for providing a “perfect storm” that spelled the end of their marriage.

He said his mental health issues and lockdown amplified the age difference in their marriage.

The Chaser revealed that there was never any deceit on the part of Katie and they were always honest with each other, but an awkward issue emerged when it was clear their young son was aware of Scott, who Katie began seeing again when lockdown restrictions were lifted.

Katie confirmed that the 27-year-age gap between her and Mark became a factor in her seeking a romantic relationship with the younger Scott, who provided a level of romanticism and emotionality that Mark was not providing.

“Scott and I are together now, and Mark knows everything,” confirmed Katie, who said she plans on introducing them soon after their conversations on the phone.

Of the relationship with his son, Mark said: “My only concern is that Scott’s good with him, which he appears to be.

“We’ve started speaking and are beginning to chat more and more.”

Mark is keen for jealousy to not take hold of him and to maintain a good relationship with Katie, refusing to bad-mouth her in public.

He added: “All that matters is what is best for our son.”

Determined to remain a strong family unit, the pair will continue to co-parent their three-year-old son.

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