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The Chase contestant dies a week after episode shown on TV

Debbie's husband shared the news she had died after a 17 year battle with cancer.

The Chase contestant Debbie passed away from cancer. (ITV)
The Chase contestant Debbie passed away from cancer. (ITV)

The Chase fans have paid tribute to contestant Debbie after it was revealed she had lost her 17-year battle with cancer.

The HR consultant from Cambridge appeared on the 14th series of the ITV quiz show and caught viewers' attention after she and chaser Shaun 'The Dark Destroyer' Wallace exchanged flirty remarks. Her episode was recently repeated just a week after she had died.

Her husband shared on Facebook: "Debbie, who was on the Chase and who Sean [sic] flirted with sadly lost her 17 year battle with cancer last week.

Read more: The Chase: 10 things you never knew about The Chasers

"She was my beautiful wife and it was tough to see but at the same time lovely to see her how she was.

Debbie's episode of the show was recently repeated. (ITV)
Debbie's episode of the show was recently repeated. (ITV)

"It was filmed about three years ago. She was one of the last to be filmed before lockdown."

Debbie was 57 when her appearance on the show was recorded and had previously beaten breast cancer 14 years earlier.

But about a year after taking part in the gameshow – hosted by Bradley Walsh – the cancer returned in her bones and spread to her brain.

Fans shared their condolences with one writing: "How desperately sad for you all, she came across as a very lovely lady."

Another commented: “It's a condition I have had, I am sure she enjoyed every minute of being on the show, brave lady."

Host Walsh joked that Wallace was trying to flirt with Debbie before they went head-to-head answering general knowledge questions.

The Chase star Shaun 'The Dark Destroyer' Wallace
Shaun 'The Dark Destroyer' Wallace flirted with Debbie on the show. (ITV)

Walsh teased: "Don't wind him up!" as Debbie joked: "He's trying to put me off."

She then said: "Hello Shaun. You see I wasn't flirty was I?!"

Walsh remarked: "I'm not sure about that."

Wallace successfully 'caught' Debbie by answering more questions correctly than her and she went home empty handed.

The ITV game show sees professional quizzers, known as chasers, preventing teams from winning their prize money.

The Chase Shaun Wallace, Paul Sinha, Anne Hegerty, Host Bradley Walsh, Jenny Ryan, Ennis and Mark Labbett. (ITV)
The Chase is a gameshow in which members of the public take on professional quizzers.. (ITV)

A team of four contestants attempt to amass the most amount of prize money they can by answering trivia questions with a score of £1,000 per question. They then take on a professional quizzer – known as the Chaser – who will attempt to defeat them and prevent them winning the jackpot.

The largest amount of money won by a single contestant on the show was £75,000 by contestant Edan, 20, in August 2021.

Read more: The Chase viewers claim 'fix' after Shaun Wallace beats team to £27k

Countdown presenter Rachel Riley and GB News presenter Kirsty Gallacher earned £160,000 for Soccer Aid in The Celebrity Chase after beating Wallace in the final chase in 2018.

The quiz show airs between 5pm and 6pm on weekdays on ITV1.

Watch: The Chase host Bradley Walsh reveals retirement plans