The Chase's Mark Labbett's ex Hayley Palmer says she's 'having counselling after shock split'

Hayley Palmer has sought counselling after her unexpected breakup with The Chase celebrity Mark Labbett. The 42-year-old television host was left devastated when Mark, 59, called time on their relationship during a short phone conversation that took her completely by surprise.

Despite previous assurances from Mark that he would finalise his divorce from his estranged wife Katie, whom he separated from in 2020, he had a change of heart and chose not to proceed with the legal separation from the mother of his child. On the My Dirty Laundry podcast Hayley shared: "The way he did it, his voice still haunts me to this day. I'm having counselling because someone told me, 'What you've had is betrayal trauma.'

"They said, 'Have you been having flashbacks and nightmares and anxiety?' I said, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what I get'. It's just the shock to your body of it completely coming out of the blue."

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Confused about the sudden end to their romance Hayley recalled how they had recently celebrated their first year together on May 16 with a seaside outing in Southsea. She recounted: "He called me and said, 'How are you? Are you on GB News this Saturday?' I was like, 'Yeah, I'm booked to go on, can't wait'... I was telling him everything. And then he said, 'Right, this is not gonna be easy to tell you, but you were right. I don't want to get a divorce'."

Following the unexpected split, Hayley hung up and immediately cut off all contact with Mark by blocking him across all platforms. Hayley opened up about the lack of warning signs before her ex-partner's decision, which has left her with a significant loss of confidence. She recounted: "I wish we could have just sat down and just said, 'Look, this is the situation. Can we make it work? Okay, let's stick together. Let's put a statement out together.'

"Because it all happened and I felt completely alone. I felt really scared. I am a positive person but I couldn't get out of bed because I felt so low. I thought counselling would be a weak thing to do, and it would be embarrassing. But it really helps me to know that others have gone through the same thing.

"And that I'm not alone and OK to have nightmares, it's what happens. This was real love and I poured all my love into him. I put him on a pedestal - but now I've got to pour that love into myself instead." For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.