The Chase’s Beast Mark Labbett tells Loose Women he’s married to his second cousin – but didn’t know they were related until AFTER they got together
The quiz show genius let slip their married secret on today's ITV show
HE might be a brainbox when it comes to facts and figures but it seems The Chase's Mark Labbett isn't so clued up when it comes to family.
The general knowledge guru, 52, left the Loose Women panel stunned today as he revealed his wife, Katie, is actually his SECOND COUSIN.
The former teacher turned TV star was a guest on today's ITV programme where he was joined by his blonde other-half of three years.
Her dad is first cousin's with Mark's father, making them second cousins.
Today show anchor Andrea McLean introduced the happy couple and said: "A lot of people might not realise, and you didn't realise when you first met, that you actually are second cousins."
Mark admitted: "It wasn't something we were aware of at the time - it was one of those things that happened.
"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.
"As a couple of my friends pointed out the big challenge for me is learning to adapt with being with someone else."
Earlier in the show Katie had opened up on the start of their relationship and said it was sparked when the clever cloggs misinterpreted something she had said.
She explained: "We had some mutual friends - basically it came from a mistake.
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"Mark misunderstood something I said - it came from that.
"We met five years ago, have been together for four and married for three."
She added that despite having the nickname The beast on the hit ITV game show, he was actually "a big softie" at home.
Meanwhile Mark revealed the secret to his menace lay in role play.
He confessed he pretended contestants were actually his former students - after having had 15 years experience in a classroom - and this immediately sparked his angry attitude.
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