ITV The Chase star Mark Labbett's lost 10 stone after nurse asked 'Are you sure?'

Mark Labbett after his weight loss
-Credit: (Image: Instagram/Mark Labbett)


The Chase star Mark Labbett lost 10 stone after a nurse asked him one simple question. The 59-year-old has become a household favourite since joining the ITV show back in 2009.

Mark opened up about his health struggles to the Daily Express back in 2021. The quiz master said he was told he had Type 2 diabetes in 2017, despite never experiencing a "diabetic episode" due to low blood glucose.

However, a nurse noticed his skin was having trouble healing on is legs, which was a sign of the chronic health condition. The diagnosis spurred Mark on to make significant lifestyle changes that led to a 10-stone weight loss, reports BirminghamLive.

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He previously said: "I've got skin that doesn't heal properly in my lower legs. A nurse looked at me and she asked, 'Are you sure you're not diabetic?' They took a test and she said, 'Yes, you're diabetic.'"

Following the diagnosis, Mark transformed his lifestyle, dropping from 29 stone to 19 stone. Type 2 diabetes, according to the NHS, causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high. It can cause symptoms like excessive thirst, needing to pee a lot and tiredness. Many people have no symptoms.

It also increases the risk of getting serious problems with your eyes, feet, heart and nerves. Talking about how the condition led to his weight loss journey, Mark previously said: "This is the lightest I've been in 25 years. I'm now under 20 stone, and I am really feeling the difference, as well as seeing it.

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Mark Labbett on ITV's The Chase -Credit:(Image: ITV)

"My knees really feel the difference. I will never be athletic again but I just move so much better for not carrying that extra weight." Mark previously appeared on Loose Women, where he shared that a friend had advised against getting a gastric band.

He said: "I'm not a drinker, but sugar has always been my downfall. A good friend of mine who had the gastric band said it won't do any good for me as I get all my calories by sugar, and it's too easy to digest. I still have sugar but an awful lot less. I should have less still."

He further shared: "I am gradually dropping Xs off my size. I've gone from 5XL to 4XL, and it looks like the next time I go shopping, I'll be able to squeeze into XL underpants. I've lost 10 stone. I was 29 stone when I was a full-time teacher in 2003, and I was in danger of high blood pressure."