The future of The Chase Australia looks uncertain as British ‘chasers’ Anne Hegerty and Mark Labbett are unable to secure work visas
The Chase Australia stars Anne Hegerty and Mark Labbett are having difficulty securing the right work visas to resume their filming commitments.
Expressing her ‘irritation’ about the situation to British TV host Lorraine Kelly this week, quizzer Anne, 61, revealed they had been scheduled to fly out in March but the COVID-19 pandemic had ‘postponed their plans’.
Anne, who is nicknamed ‘The Governess’ on the Channel Seven quiz show, explained: ‘The thing is, those in Australia can’t get a work visa for me. They can’t get work visas for me or Mark.’
Tough situation: The Chase Australia stars Anne Hegerty (left) and Mark Labbett (right) are having difficulty securing the right work visas to resume their filming commitments
Anne added: ‘We’re kind of a little bit stuck at the moment. But again, we’d like to get out there as soon as we can.’
‘I miss recording The Chase, we had a load of programs we were going to record and those have been postponed and that has been irritating.
Despite being unable to work, Anne said she having a ‘great time’ in lockdown and that self-isolation ‘suits’ her.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Seven for further comment.
Stuck at home: Professional quizzer Anne, 61, told British TV host Lorraine Kelly this week they had been scheduled to fly out in March but the COVID-19 pandemic had postponed their plans
Anne has been a professional ‘chaser’ on The Chase since 2010 alongside Mark, Shaun Wallace, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan and Darragh Ennis.
In 2015, Anne – who had a stint on the UK’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2018 – joined The Chase Australia. Mark joined a year later.
In another interview last month, Anne said she was feeling ‘guilty’ about enjoying isolation, after a friend from the quiz scene had sadly died from coronavirus.
‘We’re kind of stuck!’ While Anne admitted she was having a ‘great time’ in lockdown, she also revealed she missed recording The Chase Australia (cast pictured)
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, she said: ‘I feel slightly guilty about it, I am the luckiest person in the UK right now.
‘I’ve been absolutely fine staying in my home. To be honest, this is working for me if I just wasn’t worrying about how its affecting other people.’
She added: ‘A guy, I didn’t know terribly well but I had quizzed with him a couple of times in Feb, Jon Jacob, died last week.
‘He was 69 and in good health and I’m not quite sure what happened. That was really unfortunate. We are all going to miss him.’
Long way from home! In 2015, Anne – who had a stint on the UK’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2018 – joined The Chase Australia. Mark joined a year later