The Chase star Mark Labbett has spoken out following yesterday’s episode of the ITV quiz, which saw him storm off after losing to the latest line-up of contestants.
The four remaining participants won a shared jackpot of £21,000, as the show’s resident general knowledge expert couldn’t catch up to them in the Final Chase.
While Labbett did congratulate them on their victory, he then made a swift exit and punched the set on his way backstage, prompting host Bradley Walsh to remark: “I apologise to any kids watching, that is not how you should take defeat.”
Shortly after the broadcast, Labbett took to social media to issue an apology and clarify what caused the outburst, as well as paying tribute to those he faced off with on the episode.
“Apologies to those of you disappointed with my behaviour tonight,” he said in a tweet. “My mental health was shot before that game, it was storm off or break down in tears. A remorseless diet of quality opponents didn’t help.”
RadioTimes.com reached out to Labbett’s representatives, who declined to comment further.
Apologies to those of you disappointed with my behaviour tonight. My mental health was shot before that game, it was storm off or break down in tears. A remorseless diet of quality opponents didn’t help #thechase
— Mark Labbett (@MarkLabbett) January 26, 2022
Viewers offered support to Labbett in the comments, with many wishing him the best and pointing out that everybody has days where they struggle to contain their emotions.
Among those contributing kind words was fellow Chaser Paul Sinha, who backed up his colleague and praised him for tackling some tough questions on the episode.
“You should never have to apologise for the crime of ‘being human’,” his response read. “I’d have been nowhere on those questions.”
The Chasers are in high demand at the moment, with the mainline series still being produced at a rapid pace, with Labbett currently appearing on the American edition too, while co-star Anne Hegerty is a regular on the Australian version.
The Chase continues weekdays on ITV. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.