Yahoo Lifestyle 
The Chase's Mark Labbett splits from wife after open marriage failed
The Chase Australia star Mark Labbett and wife Katie have officially separated after seven years of marriage, saying their age difference and open marriage took a toll on the relationship.
The 55-year-old married nurse Katie, 28, in 2014 and the couple share a three-year-old son.
For the sake of their son, Mark and Katie later reconciled and tried to make the marriage work, while she remained in a relationship with Scott.
But the pair have now decided to end their relationship in an amicable split.
“With Katie seeing Scott after lockdown, it’s got to the point now where I realise it is better for us to go our separate ways and remain friendly without the stress factor of living together,” he told the Sun on Sunday.
“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.”
‘The Beast’, as he is known to The Chase viewers, added: “But Covid provided the perfect storm. My mental health suffered and the differences in our ages became magnified.”
Katie, also taking part in the interview, said she just wants “Mark to be happy”.
Mark went on to add he would never publicly bash Katie, as he does not want their son “to read anything bad about his mother” when he is older.
Mark had previously revealed he and Kate are actually second cousins, something he says they didn’t realise until after they began dating.
He told the Loose Women panel in 2017: “It wasn’t something we were aware of at the time - it was one of those things that happened.”
Additional reporting by Danny Thompson.
Click here to sign up to our daily newsletter to get all the latest news and hacks. Or if you have a story tip, email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.
