Celebs Go Virtual Dating may have only just finished but already rumours have started swirling around the next (hopefully IRL) series and this alleged sign up would be GOLDEN to watch.
The Chase Quizmaster Mark Labbett, known as The Beast on the show, is seemingly putting his love life in the capable hands of Anna Williamson and Paul Carrick-Brunson after splitting from his much younger wife Katie, his second cousin and mother to his three-year-old son, during lockdown.
“Mark has been very open about the fact he’s not especially romantic. Flirting doesn’t come easily to him but he’s open to finding love again,” a source told The Sun.
CHECK OUT: Celebs Go Dating forbidden romances
Forbidden CGD couples
Stephanie Pratt and Joey Essex in series 1
When the show was just a little bitty baby in 2016, Stephanie and Joey were its first ever forbidden celeb couple. Then dating expert Nadia Essex certainly made her feelings known as later Steph told us, "I try to block out bad memories, but she didn't accept that Joey and I were dating. She was evil to me when I was dating Joey, on and off camera."She was flirting with Joey."
Eden Blackman and Chanel Sadie Paul in series 2
So this was QUITE the scandal at the time. Then dating coach Eden ended up hooking up with one of the civilian daters, Chanel, a Kim Kardashian lookalike who was brought in to date IRL Kim's best mate Jonathan Cheban (awks). It all crumbled though when Chanel found out he'd been two timing her and shared the messages online.
Charlotte Dawson and Frankie Cocozza in series 3
She might be settled down with a baby on the way now, but back in 2017 Charlotte looked to the dating agents to find her love with a civilian. Instead, she found a "genuine connection" with disgraced X Factor star Frankie, before accusing him of using her for air time. The pair no longer speak.
Tallia Storm and Seb Morris on series 4
Ok, ok, so not STRICTLY a forbidden romance, but Tallia and Seb were the OG exes on the show (to be extremely outshone by Pete Wicks and Megan McKenna two series later) and it was SO CLEAR when the agents had them in a room together that there was still LOADS of chemistry between them.
Olivia Attwood and Sam Craske in series 5
Love Island's Olivia certainly had options on the show, reportedly hooking up with Ibiza Weekender's Callum Izzard,too. But it was Diversity Dancer and Jesy Nelson's ex Sam who she attended the final with, and fans were overjoyed at the union.
Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks in series 6
Easily the most enduring love affair to have come from the show, Pete and Sam each met their soulmates in each other in series six and are still the best of friends today (even if their relationship does revolve around Pete ripping into Sam).
Jack Fincham and Lauren Goodger in series 7
These two Essex natives seem like the perfect match on paper, which is why we were gutted not to see more of their relationship play out. TOWIE's Lauren dropped some major hints she'd been getting intimate with the Love Island winner, but later left the agency early to focus on herself.
Megan Barton Hanson and Demi Sims in series 7
After breaking up with her Love Island boyfriend Wes Nelson, Megan admitted she was bi-sexualand on CGD dated both guys and girls. She hit it off with TOWIE's Demi and the two ended the series trying to make a go of it, but it wasn't to last.
Josh Ritchie and Olivia Bentley on series 8
Made in Chelsea's poshest export Liv joined the agency looking for a bit of rough and found it in newly single Josh Ritchie, who'd just split from Charlotte Crosby. The pair were photographed snogging at a party and they both admitted to fancying each other.
James Lock and Alison Hammond on series 8
Liv was also briefly linked to TOWIE's James but we much preferred the rumours about a romance with daytime telly hun Alison."I fell in love with James Lock on the show. This Greek God," she said at the time. "He did say one thing to me, he actually said, 'Alison you're my perfect girlfriend, personality-wise'."I was absolutely devastated. So I went to the gym and worked out. So personality-wise I'm his perfect girl!"
Pete Wicks and Shaughna Phillips in series 9
The celebs might have to maintain a safe distance for 2020's virtual series, but that didn't stop Pete and Love Island's Shaughna hitting it off. She denied any romance but admitted, "Anna and Paul have actually said to me that they think me and Pete are alike in the sense that we kind of go along with things to be nice."That could be a perfect chemistry… He's probably not my type on paper, but he's lovely."
Tom Zanetti and Sophie Hermann
Despite Celebs Go Dating the Mansion being rife with rumours of celeb pairings, it was superstar DJ Tom Zanetti and Made in Chelsea heiress Sophie Hermann who made a go of things. Viewers watched the pair flirt their way through the series before finally being set up on a date by Pau and Anna, with Anna telling Closer exclusively that "if a celeb starts to gravitate toward another celebrity, it is something we explore but we also try and keep them on the path of dating regular folk as well."
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“He’s a big lovable giant with a heart of gold but his dating adventures will be something to behold.”
Speaking to the same publication following their second split after a failed open relationship where Katie began dating a man closer to her own age, Mark said, “We had a family. We couldn’t just throw that away lightly. There were other considerations.
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“But Covid provided the perfect storm. My mental health suffered and the differences in our ages became magnified. With Katie seeing Scott after lockdown, it’s got to the point where I realise it’s better for us to go our separate ways and remain friendly, without the stress factor of living together.”
Mark won’t be the first Quizmaster to foray into reality TV with his friend and co-star Anne Hegerty, nicknamed The Governess, taking part in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2018 and Jenny 'The Vixen' Ryan did very well on X Factor: Celebrity in 2019.