'The shock was so bad, I had a panic attack

TV presenter Hayley Palmer chats to new about her break-up with The Chase's Mark Labbett and how she's been coping

- LUCY ROBINSON

Having just celebrated their first anniversary and declared their love on daytime TV, Hayley Palmer and Mark Labbett’s relationship appeared to be going from strength to strength. But just days later, towards the end of May, Hayley, 42, revealed that their romance had come to an abrupt end after she received a call from The Chase star – known on telly as The Beast – telling her it was over.

With reports that Mark blamed their 16-year age gap for the break-up and that his Rotherham location versus Hayley’s London base caused tension, fans were baffled because just days before the pair both shared pictures of themselves looking loved-up.

“We went on Loose Women the week before we split up to talk about how happy we were,” says Hayley. “We had our one-year anniversary – we were celebrating. We were booking theatre tickets with my mum and dad and organising quiz nights together. We were in a really good place – as far as I was aware.

“So when the phone call came completely out of the blue, the shock hit me so bad to my nervous system that, on reflection, I think I had a panic attack on the spot and lost all control of my body.”

Announcing their split in a post uploaded to her Instagram Stories, TV reporter Hayley revealed that she and Mark had gone their separate ways and added that they’d had the “best year together”. However, as she tried to navigate her sudden heartbreak, Hayley admits her mental health took a hit over the following weeks.