Mark Labbett, best known to fans of The Chase as quiz heavyweight "The Beast", found himself in an awkward situation while filming Celebs Go Dating - by falling asleep during a date.

The 58-year-old TV personality, famed for his quick mind and no-nonsense attitude on ITV's popular game show, reportedly nodded off mid-date while the cameras were rolling.

Filming for the new series of the Channel 4 dating show took place last month, and according to one insider, there was little chemistry between Mark and his date.

A source said: "Mark was yawning a lot and drifted off briefly. It was a bit of an awkward moment. It's safe to say there wasn't much of a spark between them."

Mark, who once tipped the scales at 29st, married his second cousin Katie in 2014 before splitting six years later. He then began a romance with TV presenter Hayley Palmer in 2023, but the couple went their separate ways after a year.

Speaking of his former flame Hayley, 43, Mark previously told The Sun: "She's a lovely lady and I was very lucky to date her for a year, and as I said: it's me, I got old."

He added: "There's been no one since Hayley. I'm not saying there won't be another one. But I'm certainly not looking."

Opening up further about his romantic history, Mark said: "I was single, not coincidentally, for a long, long time when I was a 29st maths teacher who knew it was quite hard to attract a partner then. So I'm quite comfortable without a partner."

When asked about the sleepy date, Mark's representative offered a tongue-in-cheek response: "If his date was as boring as you have suggested, I'm surprised he didn't take a pillow with him!"

Celebs Go Dating declined to comment on the incident.