The Chase star Anne Hegerty left viewers gobsmacked last night when she appeared to flirt with a young male contestant.
Wednesday (August 12) evening’s episode of the ITV quiz show featured Tom, a 19-year-old history student from Derby with a passion for sailing.
He was the first of his team to step up and try his hand at the cash-builder round.
What did Anne Hegerty say to The Chase contestant?
Tom got three correct and when host Bradley Walsh asked which of the chasers he wanted to face, he said Shaun Wallace. The student felt the Dark Destroyer was the most easily “rattled” and therefore most likely to underestimate him.
However, it was Anne who came into the studio.
Tom, quick, run!
After going for the middle offer, Tom managed to beat The Governess in the head-to-head and get back to his team.
Anne said: “Yes, as I said, better than the three [thousand]. Could’ve gone high. You had no problem with that.
“Plus, you are ridiculously cute. So… yes, I’m going to enjoy this!”
Tom laughed, clearly surprised but pleased with the compliment.
Read more: Anne Hegerty discusses filming new episodes of The Chase as viewers complain over repeats
Bradders, on the other hand, pulled a face and said: “Yuck… Tom, quick, run! You’re through to the final chase, well done.”
Viewers were stunned, as one said on Twitter: “Never thought I’d hear Anne call someone cute, @ITVChase! #TheChase.”
Another wrote, with a shocked face emoji: “Anne the cougar! #TheChase.”
A third said: “Anne you’ve made him blush #TheChase.”
https://twitter.com/HasanHussain07/status/1293580852941684736
Anne the cougar! 😱 #TheChase
— BMcG🏴SSP✊🏼✊✊🏿420🌱✌️ (@rmcgill19841) August 12, 2020
Anne you’ve made him blush 😳😂 #TheChase
— 🩷∙∘✩∙∘ 𝕍𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕒 ᥫ᭡ ∘∙✩∙∘ 🩷✨ (@Boppity_Boo34) August 12, 2020
New episodes soon
ITV is still airing repeats of The Chase, as it has done all lockdown.
Last month, Anne spoke about filming new episodes of the popular quiz show, amid complaints from viewers who were getting tired of watching old episodes.
Speaking to a fan on Twitter, Anne revealed her hope that filming would get underway soon.
But she conceded it was still “hard to tell” exactly when she would be back in the studio.
Read more: The Chase: Mark Labbett praises contestants after he’s ‘battered’ in final round
Someone asked her: “Hi Anne, huge fan of the #TheChase. Do you have any idea when you’re able to get back to filming, as we [have] had months of series 10 repeats?”
The Governess replied: “We hope in the next few months, but it’s hard to tell. Depends on how this virus all pans out.”
Since then, Anne’s fellow chaser Jenny Ryan has revealed that new episodes are due to air in September.
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