Hayley Palmer, 42, reveals break up from Chaser Mark Labbett, 58, left her so grief-stricken she couldn't get out of bed for days - as she hits back at The Beast's claim the split was down to their 16-year age gap

• e-mail

The ex-girlfriend of The Chase star Mark Labbett has revealed she was so grief stricken when he broke up with her that she couldn't get out of bed for several days.

Sky Entertainment reporter Hayley Palmer, 42, and the 58-year-old chaser on May after celebrating their one-year anniversary together - but according to Hayley, the split came completely our of the blue , leaving her 'blindsided'. 

Speaking to FEMAIL about the break up, Hayley, from Portsmouth, revealed she was suffering from what she described as 'betrayal PTSD', including panic attacks, flashbacks and nightmares.

Mark, known as The Beast on the ITV quiz show hosted by Bradley Walsh, and Hayley spoke about their one-year anniversary during an appearance on Loose Women as earlier this year; and at the time, it seemed there was no sign of trouble afoot for the couple.

When their one-year anniversary came around the pair both shared the same photo on Instagram - a selfie taken on the beach in which Hayley embraced Mark - but just a short while later, he called it quits. 

TV presenter Hayley Palmer (pictured) has revealed she has been left with 'betrayal trauma' after her ex boyfriend, Chase star, Mark Labbett split with her suddenly

Prior to their anniversary celebrations last week, Mark had spoken about what he had planned for their date on the special day

The caption they both shared was written by Hayley and said: 'One Year Anniversary - Same Beach, Same Bench.'

Hayley, unaware that Mark was having doubts, wrote underneath Mark's post: 'So happy.' 

She said there had been no signs of an impending break-up and was left in a state of disbelief when just two days later, Mark called to end their relationship, telling her he no longer wanted to divorce his previous wife.

Speaking about the life changing call, Hayley said 'couldn't believe' what was happening, and immediately went into shock.

'I put the phone down and had a panic attack. I was walking around in a daze for about three hours, not knowing where I was going.'

'I don't think I'll ever get over the shock of him saying that.'

Following the 'excruciating' but brief phone call, Hayley says she was beside herself with grief. 

'For any girl, doing it over the phone like that... Heartbreak isn't even the word,' she said. 'I couldn't get out of bed I was so low, physically I was completed wiped out.

'The first day it happened, my friend said get on the tube to my house, but I couldn't... because my body wasn't functioning at all.'

Hayley was devastated by the break-up, describing the pain as akin to grief. 'It feels like a death, it feels like going through the stages of grief.'

Though she had experienced heartache before, she said she has never felt so shocked by the end of a relationship and insists that, in the past, she has always been able to spot signs of unrest.

Prior to their anniversary celebrations Mark spoke to The Sun about what he had planned for their date on the special day.

He said: 'We found a bench in a peaceful spot by the beach and spent hours talking and getting to know each other, so we’ve decided to go back to celebrate our anniversary.

'As luck would have it, there’s a rather nice Beefeater near to where her parents live. They already know Hayley’s order — nachos and chips.'

The pair had been dating since early 2023, with Mark previously admitting he was a 'very very lucky man' to be with her

Quizzer Mark, 58, is best known as The Beast on iTV game show, The Chase 

'We went on national TV the week before, if I had any idea in my head that it wasn't going to be forever, there's no way I'd go on TV and talk about how happy we were.'

As well as declaring their love for each other on national television just days before they split up, Hayley says the couple has also been looking ahead into the future, making plans to go to the theatre with Hayley's parents. As well as appearing on national television, during the week of the anniversary, the couple had been looking ahead to the future, making plans to go to the theatre with her Hayley's parents.

After the break up, a mental health specialist reached out to the grief-stricken Hayley, suggesting she might have 'betrayal trauma' - a form of PTSD that's triggered after a violation of trust from an individual who usually offers an important source of trust and care.

Hayley was told that her symptoms aligned with someone experiencing this kind of PTSD. 

'I've been having panic attacks flashbacks, nightmares. The anxiety level is through the roof because it's such a such a shock to the system.'

'I felt completely humiliated in front of everyone. Our relationship was very public so it was very embarrassing - that's made it really hard.

'I felt very vulnerable. We could have talked it through with how we would deal with the press. Just having that phone and leaving me out to dry was a lot to take.'

Since the call, the two have had no form of contact and Hayley has cut ties with the man she used to love.

'After I heard the coldness in his voice, I just blocked him on everything. 

'I give so much love and trust. I don't give second chances, I've always been strong with that. 

'My stuff is still in his car and flat but it's material things and my mental health is the most important thing.

'The only thing we'd ever had a heated discussion about is I would say, "what's going on in your divorce" and he would say he was getting round to it.'

During their relationship, Mark was still technically married to Katie Labbett, who he had been with for seven years prior to Hayley.

She explained that the divorce had been a source of contention for the couple since day one - though Mark had insisted he was still going ahead with it.

Hayley said: 'I thought I'd give it to a year to say it again because after a year we need some progress.

'I think we could have worked through it, if he'd explained why he didn't want to get a divorce.'

After the break up in May, Mark spoke out about the split, blaming the couple's 16-year age gap for the end of their romance. 

Left to pick up the pieces of their public relationship, Hayley took to Instagram to share a post telling fans that the two were calling it quits.

She wrote: 'It is with regret I announce that myself and Mark have gone our separate ways.

'We had the best year together and I truly wish him all the best for the future.'

She added: 'Off I go to listen to Taylor Swift,' with a broken heart emoji.

Confirming news of their break-up on her Instagram story, Hayley wrote: 'It is with regret I announce that myself and Mark have gone our separate ways'

Hayley pictured wearing a gorgeous red dress. She said that the impacts of the break up have been so severe that she has been through a form of PTSD

The TV presenter pictured snuggling up a four legged friend. She attributes her healthy healing to mindfulness and a strong network of support

At the time, a source told 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 shut down theories that their age was the cause of the split saying 'it never got in the way' of their relationship.

'It wasn't to do with the age gap,' she insisted.

One of the reasons that the split was so heart wrenching for the TV presenter was that it was totally 'unexpected' and that the 'Beast' had given no 'signs' that he was unhappy. 

Hayley said the two rarely had disagreements other than when they were talking about Mark's divorce with his former wife, Katie, and their seven-year-old son, Lawrencem- whom Hayley was banned from seeing. 

The pair, who met through their work, said the fact they didn't see each other too often meant they felt their bond was stronger.

In the weeks that have gone by since her heartbreak, Hayley has turned her life around with the help of meditation. 

She thanks her ability to refocus on herself for the speedy recovery, as well as the immense support from her friends, family, and other's who have reached out on Instagram to share similar woes. 

'Now I'm doing things that make me happy and make me smile and laugh. I'm starting to feel really good.

She does up to 45 minutes of mindset work a day to help her 'cope'.

Though Hayley knows she is lucky to have tools at hand to help, she knows it's not the case for everyone. 'People don't always know these tools, people go out and get hammered or take drugs and that's very worrying.'

Following a previous interview where she spoke about the affect the break-up had on her, Hayley received floods of messages from women who had been through similar heart ache.

'It's a very hard situation to deal with and there's not enough awareness of that.'

'If people don't have the tools around them, they could turn to drink or drugs, there's a whole avenue of ways someone could go off the rails.'

'I'm getting myself back by working through meditations, visualisations, affirmations, doing so much for me and working on my dream to be a presenter, going to the gym.'

Working through mindfulness, has helped support her healing after the life changing break-up, and she now feels she has been able to discover herself.