Mark Labbett signs up for Celebs Go Dating

Mark Labbett has signed up for \'Celebs Go Dating\'.

The \'Chase\' star has reportedly joined the cast of the new series of the E4 dating show following his split from wife Katie.

A source told The Sun newspaper\'s Bizarre TV column: "Mark has been very open about the fact he\'s not especially romantic. Flirting doesn\'t come easily to him but he\'s open to finding love again. He\'s a big lovable giant with a heart of gold but his dating adventures will be something to behold."

Last month, Mark - who is nicknamed \'The Beast\' on the ITV quiz show - confirmed he had split from his wife, 28.

He said at the time: "There was never any deceit on Katie\'s part but it\'s got to the point now where I realise it is better for us to go our separate ways and remain friendly."

Katie has been dating senior design engineer Scott Bate, 30, for 18 months and Mark said he and Katie - who have a three-year-old son together - initially tried to save their marriage.

He explained: "When Katie first came clean to me about her boyfriend, I\'d had an inkling. But right from the start, my attitude was quite pragmatic - this was spilt milk, what could we do about the situation to make it OK?

"We had a family. We couldn\'t just throw that away lightly. There were other considerations."

However, Mark says there were other factors, including the Covid-19 lockdown and his own mental health, to the split.

He said: "Covid provided the perfect storm. My mental health suffered and the differences in our ages became magnified. With Katie seeing Scott after lockdown, it\'s got to the point where I realise it\'s better for us to go our separate ways and remain friendly, without the stress factor of living together."