Mark Labbett and Hayley Palmer rekindle romance two years after split that left her 'completely crushed'
Mark Labbett and Hayley Palmer are dating again, two days after he dumped her in a "three-minute" phone call days after their first dating anniversary in May 2024.
Mark Labbett and Hayley Palmer have rekindled their romance - two years after they split.
The Chase quizzer - known as The Beast - sparked speculation that the pair are dating again after he shared a cosy shot with Hayley at Nando's on Monday night (24.08.26), 27 months after Mark dumped Hayley in a "three-minute" phone call days after their first dating anniversary in May 2024, which left her "completely crushed".
Their cosy reunion came three months after Mark, 61, spotted the entertainment journalist across a crowded St Pancras Station in London and realised he had made a mistake by ending their relationship.
He told The Sun: "We’re dating. It’s been three months.
"I was in London to do The Chase Around The World, and I thought I saw Hayley at St Pancras Station.
"Unfortunately, it was one of those times where there was a car waiting for me, so I couldn’t sprint after her. I sent her a message saying, 'Have I just seen you?' and she replied saying, 'Why didn’t you come and talk to me?'
"We met for lunch, and it became obvious that we’d missed each other."
The brainbox won Hayley back with Nando's meals, bingo dates and a £700 pair of Christian Louboutin heels.
And he has even hinted that marriage could be on the cards, saying: "The first person that is going to find out about that is Hayley."
The couple first got together in May 2023 after he and ex-wife Katie Labbett's attempts at an open marriage failed.
But Mark and Hayley's romance ended a year later, with the latter claiming that he had dumped her because Mark "didn't want to divorce his ex-wife".
He later told The Sun newspaper that their separation was because he had "got old".
Hayley struggled with the split, telling BANG Showbiz last August that she had hit “rock bottom” and sought counselling before turning the "pain" into "power" through affirmations and EFT tapping, eventually helping her to feel like a "new person".
The blonde beauty - who has lost over a stone after she ditched chips, crisps, coke and cake, and hit the gym - described Mark's unexpected text after their two-year split as a "sliding doors" moment.
She said: "I don’t know if I was in St Pancras at the time, but I’m always in Kings Cross, so when I got the message from him, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, that’s crazy.'
"I messaged back saying, 'You should have said hello.' Then we were just texting a little bit, then Mark said, 'Oh well, I’m filming The Chase Around The World, and I’m coming back to St Pancras and we should meet for lunch.'
"We’ve had two years apart, and it’s funny because during that time those emotions go and now we’re the best version of ourselves, and we’re all about looking after each other and just being respectful to each other and having a nice time together."
Mark - who has joined Hayley for fitness swimming sessions - was immediately struck by her new look when they reunited.
He said: "Hayley’s in the best shape I think I’ve ever seen as she looks ridiculously fit!
"I stabilised at about 20 stone, but then I’ve definitely lost a bit of weight since we’ve been dating.”
The Beast also revealed he has lost some weight since they started dating again.
Mark said: "I’m in reasonable shape. There is a drawback to being this tall and this heavy, so I’m just enjoying it while we can and making sure we have as good a time as we can."
The couple are keeping their rekindled romance low-key.
Mark said: "Hayley has discovered a new passion in her life and that’s bingo. I do a lot of work with Buzz Bingo at the moment, which involves gigs up and down the country, and Hayley has started to come and see me while I’m there.
"She gets really upset when she’s like one or two numbers away and says, 'Why aren’t they calling my number?'
"The major thing now is we’ve just gone on with it. We’re not trying to hide it. We’re just not bothering to be a big issue. We wouldn’t bother going on Loose Women or anything.
"We’re not trying to keep it secret. We’re just basically… getting on with our life."
The reunion comes after Hayley insisted that she and Mark had put their split behind them and were now good pals.
Last November, she told BANG Showbiz: "Things are in the past now, we’re good mates, and we're just happy to do it. And like I say, that's all pushed to one side, and it's a year-and-a-half ago, and we've always got on well.
"We’re friends, we’re both doing our jobs, and we both want to make it a huge success, which I absolutely know it will be."
At the time, Hayley was preparing to interview Mark for a special An Audience With... show at London's Hippodrome Casino on January 26, but the event was later cancelled after he pulled out due to "unforeseen circumstances".
She had also said they had no plans to dwell on their romance during the show.
Asked if they would discuss their relationship, Hayley said: "Like I say, we just want to move on from that. I’m sure people want to come along because they’re quite fascinated that an ex is interviewing an ex.
"But, ultimately, we’re friends, and Mark is absolutely brilliant at what he does. He is a genius, and I salute him for that - I’m in awe of what he does, I think he is phenomenal, and I want to put him in the best light possible."
