AS The Governess on hit telly game show The Chase Anne Hegerty is known for her prim, starchy suit – but she would have liked to appear in rubber and fishnets.
In an exclusive interview to mark 15 years of the popular ITV quiz, the 66-year-old said: “I’m sure there must be some people who see me as a ‘dominatrix’ and I quite like the idea!
“I hate my costume, it’s an open secret.
“Honestly, if I’d had my way I would have been wearing a lot of rubber and fishnet tights, high heels and a wig. Wouldn’t that be good?”.
Anne, who joined The Chase in 2010, a year after it started, also reveals that despite the look she has plenty of admirers.
She said: “Let’s say I would not be short of offers if I went looking.
“But I am happy with my own company, I’ve had relationships go wrong precisely because I could not devote the mental energy to it, and I just thought ‘no, no, no, this is not a good idea’.
“I find men make such great friends — so let’s keep them like that.”
She has also gained celebrity fans throughout her years on the quiz, presented by comic Bradley Walsh.
She said: “[US Singer] Chaka Khan watches the show when she’s in the UK. She can’t remember my name, she calls me ‘The Big Woman’.
“I met Robbie Williams at a party a few years ago, I got a selfie and we were chatting away, discussing that we both find parties kind of stressful, and we were talking about ways of dealing with it.
“You know Stormzy is a fan? Not just of The Chase but of me.
“Jonathan Ross decided to get Stormzy on his show and also Bradley, then I came out in costume and Stormzy and I played a quiz game.”
Anne does have a celebrity crush — but will never reveal who.
She said with a laugh: “There are people I fancy, I’m not made of stone, but there is absolutely no way I’m going to admit to any name.”
Anne was diagnosed with autism in her 40s and spoke about her struggles while on I’m A Celebrity in 2018.
She said: “I was talking to a friend the other day, and she meant well, but she was saying to me, ‘You’ve overcome your autism’ and I was like, ‘no, I haven’t, it’s just you don’t recognise the things about me that represent autism’.
“It’s not a thing you overcome.
“It’s lifelong, and it gives you strengths as well as weaknesses.”
Anne is full of praise for the quiz’s host.
She said: “Brad is just brilliant.
“He is the best thing about the show and I’ve always been rather in awe of him, so it’s really nice when we get some comedy between us.
“I worry that he’s going to overwork or going to have some other priority.
“But I remember early on him saying, ‘The Chase is my pension’ so obviously I hope he stays with us for years, because I can’t imagine anyone else doing the job.”
Anne loves quizzing so much that it is her work and play.
She will be taking part in the British Quiz Championships next weekend so has been doing her homework.
She said: “It’s very haphazard, I don’t use flash cards and so on.
“I read a lot, I pay attention to the news and I quiz a lot.
“I went to Manchester to do a personal appearance that involved taking part in a quiz.
“I always like doing quizzes because I’ll always learn something.
“I do a lot of online quizzes too.”
But while she is one of the UK’s most famous question queens, she has slipped down the world rankings over the past few years, so it is something she is working on.
Chaser Mark [Labbett] had told me that most game shows don’t get more than two series, and I joined in series two.
Anne Hegerty
She said: “I’m not as high as everyone thinks I am.
“I don’t think I’m in the top 100, I know that probably would surprise people but there are so many people even in the UK who are better than me.
“But, that said, they can’t be The Governess like me.”
Anne never realised the show would become such a hit.
She said: “I didn’t think it would last this long, I was so naive.
“Chaser Mark [Labbett] had told me that most game shows don’t get more than two series, and I joined in series two, but I just thought, in this case, everything is going to be fine.
“And it actually was — I should have been a bit more surprised than I was.
“We were a big hit with the viewers right from the start, but it really took until about 2015 . . . and then the awards came, which was lovely too.”
She and the cast are looking forward to gathering at the National Television Awards on September 11 before starting filming series 18 this month.
Behind the scenes The Chasers, made up of Shaun “The Dark Destroyer” Wallace, Jenny “The Vixen” Ryan, Paul “The Sinnerman” Sinha and Darragh “The Menace” Ennis, will all be found together during filming, swotting up on their knowledge.
Anne said: “When we get together we just congregate in one dressing room and quiz.”
Anne became famous in her 50s, and it fulfilled a childhood dream.
She said: “It’s my filthy little secret!
“I always wanted to be famous and I used to fantasise about it and doing interviews.”
Yet she is still surprised when spotted by fans.
She said: “I get recognised in all sorts of places and every time I go to the supermarket.
“I remember being very startled years ago — it was about 2016 — when I was transiting via Auckland airport and I was in the lounge.
“I leaned over to the young couple opposite and asked if they knew the wifi password.
“They said ‘We don’t but are you The Governess? I was like, ‘good heavens, this is New Zealand!’
“I only found out afterwards that The Chase UK is enormous in New Zealand.
“Everyone watches it, it’s on twice a day there.”
And as for doing another 15 years on the show she says: “That would be superb”.
