The Chase viewers were left cringing last night when Mark Labbett gushed about his wife in badly-timed scenes.
The quiz expert split from his 26-year-old wife Katie earlier this month after it emerged she had been having an affair with another man, Scott Bate, 28.
During Thursday’s edition of the game show, Mark, 53, gushed about his “lovely wife” and revealed that she bought him a book about fashion terms.
Read more: The Chase’s Mark Labbett ‘planning to stay single after split from wife’
Mark, who is known as The Beast on the show, and contestant Leon were asked: “Percale is a variety of what fabric?” followed by three choices of answers – leather, cotton or linen.
After correcting choosing ‘cotton’ as his answer, Mark told Leon and host Bradley Walsh: “My lovely wife bought me as a birthday present a book of fashion terms.
“Thank you darling.”
Viewers watching from home were left cringing over Mark’s comment – which appeared to be filmed before his split from Katie.
One person said: “Bit awkward The Beast mentioning his wife when they’ve just split because she cheated on him #TheChase.”
Bit awkward the Beast mentioning his wife when they’ve just split because she cheated on him 🙄 #TheChase
— Tom (@tomlear) 16 May 2019
Another wrote: “Oh that’s a little awkward #TheChase,” while a third tweeted: “Great timing to show this episode. Lovely wife. #TheChase.”
Oh that’s a little awkward #TheChase
— Dave (@LTFC_Dave) 16 May 2019
Great timing to show this episode. Lovely wife. 😂 #TheChase
— Mr. C 🇪🇺🏴 (@arcamp1971) 16 May 2019
A fourth joked: “Bet he doesn’t still call her his lovely wife #thechase.”
Bet he doesn’t still call her his lovely wife 😂 #thechase
— Marve (@bentleymartin) 16 May 2019
Katie recently spoke to The Sun about her relationship with Mark, claiming it was the lack of mutual friends and habits that led to the couple drifting apart, saying they have “different lives”.
“Mark and I had been talking about separating for some time – we have been drifting for a while,” she said. “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.”
Katie began seeing metal worker Scott after meeting him on a night out, but claimed she never tried to hide her affair from her husband Mark.
It was previously claimed Katie and Scott met back in 2017, and that he introduced her to his friends in the December of that year.
Read more: The Chase star Mark Labbett ‘ends marriage after wife’s affair’
When Katie appeared on Loose Women alongside Mark, Scott’s friends realised she was married.
Mark and Katie, who have a one son, have reportedly put their Hereford home on the market.
They married in 2014 and found out after that they were second cousins shortly after.
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