Mark Labbett has opened up about difficulties he experienced while filming the new The Chase spin-off, The Chase Around the World. The six-part series sees six pairs of contestants trying to track down all of The Chasers - Mark, Anne Hegerty, Jenny Ryan, Shaun Wallace, Darragh Ennis and Paul Sinha - across undisclosed locations around the world.
Along the way, they solve puzzles, with the winning pair eventually facing the ITV stars for a life-changing prize pot.
While travelling around to film the series, the quizmaster ran into a practical challenge. Speaking to The Times, he revealed: "When you're 6ft 7in, travel is mainly discomfort," recalling how his legs were "in a tangle" after a flight back from Paris.
He added: "I do travel but only for work, and when I'm doing long haul [to film the Australian version of The Chase] I have it in my contract that I fly business.
"And even then I have to get up and walk around or I might get DVT (Deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot in a vein, usually in the leg) and die." After the Paris trip, he also described a particularly uncomfortable experience at passport control.
"I was so stiff the man at passport control said, 'Would you like to use the assistance lane?' I thought, 'Am I walking that badly?' I took one look in the mirror and thought, 'Yes I am'."
It isn’t the first time his height has caused issues. In 2018, he said finding a suitable car was also difficult. Speaking to The Sun, he explained: "It didn’t used to be a problem with cars.
"Maybe I’ve become less flexible, but the last time I went looking to buy a car I really struggled to get in.
"I think they’ve moulded the driver compartments to make them more ergonomically friendly."
Beyond these challenges, Mark has also spoken publicly about his health journey. After being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2017, he underwent a major weight loss transformation.
In a recent interview, he said he was around 29 stone at his heaviest and now weighs roughly 18 stone.
To achieve this, he increased his physical activity, reduced portion sizes, cut down on sugar and refined carbohydrates, and adopted a higher-protein diet.
Meanwhile, in a promotional video ahead of The Chase's spin-off show being aired, host Bradley Walsh teased on Instagram: "The Chase is going global. Six chasers, six pairs of contestants and one epic chase.
"Because in this game, the more you know, the further you go. If you want to star in the game, you're going to have to take on the best in the world."
He also said in a separate statement: "The Chasers are already famous around the world, so fans can look forward to seeing them ply their trade in some superb secret locations.”
The Chase Around the World is due to begin airing on 16 July on ITV1 and ITVX.
