The Chase star's Anne Hegerty's relationship bombshell after wedding snub

Daily Mirror

17 hours ago

Quiz queen Anne Hegerty opens up about her true thoughts on romance, why she could only watch parts of I'm A Celeb last year - and the campmate she jokes she has beef with
There's nobody quite like Anne Hegerty. Quiz queen extraordinaire on The Chase since 2010, and the woman who entertained us in the jungle in 2018, the 67-year-old – who was diagnosed with autism in her mid-40s – is unapologetically her own woman.
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Here, the witty and wonderfully straight-talking TV star opens up to OK! about why she's not one bit interested in romance, having a bone to pick with her old jungle campmate Nick Knowles and the big ambition she's yet to tick off…
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Anne, what are you up to these days?
I'm enjoying a little break from work. We finished filming the current series of The Chase in early April and we have tons of shows in the can. I'm not sure how long I have off just yet. It's a question of when we can get the studio and when we can get Bradley Walsh as he is, without doubt, the busiest man in showbiz. And it's nice as we all get on well away from the cameras. It wouldn't really work if we didn't.
Will you be resting up then?
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Well, officially I live in Manchester so I'm going back there, which will be nice. There's a three-day quiz weekend happening up there. I fully intend to go to that. Don't you do enough quizzes in your day job? No, I feel like I've got to keep doing these quizzes. I was at a charity quiz last night and I logged my mileage. I was thinking, 'This is a training session. I'm going to tell my accountant – it is tax deductible!' I'm off to Scarborough soon for a photoshoot as I'm going to be in panto there this Christmas. I'm playing Fairy Rose in Beauty And The Beast. I don't feel much like a Fairy Rose, but I have plenty of time to get into character.
What is people's biggest misconception of you?
Oh, that I know everything about everything. You have no idea about how much stuff I do not know. At last night's quiz I was being auctioned off to the highest bidder in each round to raise money for the Paul Strank charity. The team that bought me for the sports' round, I felt like apologising in advance. I know nothing about sport.
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You're comfortable in your own company, aren't you?
Yes I am. Even at showbiz events, I need to take time out if it's very noisy. I need to chill for a bit, alone. I know many people like that. People keep inviting me to things and I think, 'Are you lonely?' So many people have tons of friends and have to have them around all the time.
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Would you like someone special to share your life with?
No, I really wouldn't. I used to, but I realised I was wanting to want it rather than genuinely wanting a romantic relationship. I don't even want pets. I've got pot plants and I mind when they die, but no, I'm very happy in my own company. I'm just fine.
Do you keep in touch with your old I'm A Celebrity campmates?
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We've still got our WhatsApp group. It's not very active, but I did post on there recently. I saw in the papers that Nick Knowles had got married. I didn't get an invite, but I'm not bitter – much! I posted my congrats on the group and everyone else did the same. If I meet any of them out and about, it's always big catch-ups and hugs.
Did you watch the last series of I'm A Celebrity?
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I watched bits of it. It's too stressful to watch much of it. The things that are upsetting about it aren't what you'd imagine. I found I was stressed, and little details got to me. Like, I didn't have a flat surface to put things on. How do I change my contact lenses? You're only allowed three pairs of knickers, so you feel like you're constantly washing knickers – and it's very hard to get them dry. Nick was amazing – he invented his own drying rack.
Strictly is coming up. Would you ever…
God no! My agent tried to get me to do it ages ago, but I couldn't even formulate the words to say, 'I think this is a bloody terrible idea.' I can't dance to save my life. When I'm in panto, you can make me sing a bit but, whatever you do, don't make me dance. Have everyone dance around me, like a maypole.
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Do you have any burning ambitions left?
I would love to do a bit of acting. I'd love a chance to do a comedy role. I do love being funny. I recently filmed a cameo in a very low-budget horror movie. I mean, it's so low budget I've been offered a share in the profits. It's called Deadcast, about a couple of guys who do a podcast about the supernatural. They head off to Lincolnshire to interview people who've had spooky experiences, and end up getting more than they bargained for.
Who do you play?
I play a woman who saw a UFO, put it on the internet and got massively trolled and ended up becoming a recluse. There's a scene where they interview me in my garden and I'm showing them where I saw the UFO. I say, 'They've been with me my whole life. It doesn't matter where I go, they follow me.' And just at that precise moment, an ice cream van passes playing Teddy Bears' Picnic. It was a lot of fun.