Mark Labbett's ex, Hayley Palmer, says she's in therapy following The Chase star's 'brutal betrayal' after their shock split.
The quizmaster, 56, also known as The Beast, and Hayley, 42, went their separate ways in May after a year of dating - one week after their anniversary.
Hayley claims Mark ended the relationship with a "three minute phone call" and now says she's in therapy following the split, admitting it left her 'blindsided'.
Giving her take on the break-up, the presenter said the dad-of-one assured her he was getting a divorce from his wife Katie, 32, who he split from in 2020 and has a son with, but admitted he had changed his mind.
Hayley told the My Dirty Laundry podcast: "The way he did it, his voice still haunts me to this day. I'm having counselling because someone told me: 'What you've had is betrayal trauma." They said: 'Have you been having flashbacks and nightmares and anxiety?' I said: 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what I get'. It's just the shock to your body of it completely coming out of the blue."
She added that Mark's final words to her were 'shocking', revealing: "He called me and said, 'How are you? Are you on GB News this Saturday?' I was like: 'Yeah, I'm booked to go on, can't wait'... I was telling him everything. And then he said: 'Right, this is not gonna be easy to tell you, but you were right. I don't want to get a divorce".'
The blonde presenter said she just put down the phone and was so shocked she couldn't feel her body and had a full blown panic attack. She immediately blocked The Beast on all channels and hasn't spoken to him since.
A source close to Mark said the split was due to the former couple wanting different things, telling The Sun: “Mark had a lovely time with Hayley and has a lot of respect for her but they wanted different things. She loves getting dressed up and going out to parties and showbiz events, whereas he prefers to stay at home.
“Mark felt there was too much of an age gap between them for long-term success. They are still friendly. Away from his job on telly and filming, Mark enjoys a quiet life and spending time with his son. He is still hopeful he can meet someone to settle down with one day.”
However, Hayley says she's still reeling from their split. Despite this, she claims despite what happened, she has nothing but fond memories of her time with Mark.
Reflecting on their break-up, she concluded: "I don't have anything bad to say about him personally. He wasn't The Beast. He was like a kind, lovely gentleman to me, which makes it worse kind of. It's just such a shame."
The Mirror has contacted Mark's rep for comment on this story.
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeand Threads