The Chase star Anne Hegerty has spoken about her future on the popular ITV quiz show in an exclusive chat with the People’s Channel.
Ms Hegerty, 67, has starred as a Chaser on the show since it first debuted back in 2009, and has established herself as a firm favourite.
Known as The Governess on the show, she has gone on to star in reality shows such as I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here.
Speaking to GB News at this week’s TV Choice Awards, Ms Hegerty revealed whether she sees herself remaining on the show for much longer.
Anne Hegerty chatted to GB News at the TV Choice Awards
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Thankfully for her fans, The Governess confirmed she plans to stay on the show for the foreseeable future, admitting she hopes to stay in the hot seat for “as long as possible,” when asked how long she hopes to remain a Chaser.
She added: “I greatly respect William Roache, you know, for getting his job on Coronation Street, planting his feet there and never leaving!”
The Chase has remained a stalwart of teatime TV for the best part of two decades. However, ITV has undergone a major change in recent months, overhauling its daytime programming in an attempt to cut costs.
As a result, the likes of Good Morning Britain, Loose Women, This Morning, and Lorraine have all been affected. However, at the time of writing, there have been no plans to alter The Chase which will be a relief to fans
Anne Hegerty talked about her future on The Chase
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Ms Hegerty’s comments also come as some viewers call for a new batch of Chasers on the series, with some expressing outrage over some of the quizzing experts’ recent performances.
A recent episode prompted criticism of Shaun “The Dark Destroyer” Wallace following what many considered a poor Final Chase result.
Despite ultimately securing victory against the remaining contestants, the quiz master’s narrow win left numerous fans unimpressed.
Mr Wallace managed to catch the final pair with just seconds left on the clock, but the tight margin sparked a wave of criticism online.
Anne Hegerty was also full of praise for The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh
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GETTYThe performance drew unfavourable comparisons with fellow chaser Jenny “The Vixen” Ryan, with one viewer posting on X: “That was really bad from Shaun, Jenny got 12 with one min left yesterday.”
“About time they started changing the chasers on the show to keep it fresh,” another argued.
Meanwhile, Ms Hegerty also spoke fondly of The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh, whom she credited with the show’s success.
“It’s a great format,” Ms Hegerty told GB News when discussing the programme’s ongoing popularity.
Chasers Jenny Ryan and Anne Hegerty
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She elaborated: “You know, everyone can understand it. You can come in from work, switch it on, you can immediately see how far into the show you are, sort of roughly what’s already happened.
“And then the other thing, I mean, our absolute secret weapon is absolutely Bradley; it would not be the same without him.
“So basically, Bradley is the reason [for the show’s popularity], and then I think the format.”
Ms Hegerty featured on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2018, finishing in seventh place. When asked if she’d be willing to take part in other reality shows, the Chaser made clear she is eyeing up one role.
“I would absolutely love to be a Celebrity Traitor, I’d definitely say yes!” she enthused.
Following the success of the main series, a celebrity version debuted on BBC One last year and was such a success that a second run was greenlit soon after.