6 hours Ago By [email protected] (Shelley Spadoni )
Mark “The Beast” Labbett may be on the road to 60, but as he exclusively tells OK! , he's never felt better. The world ’s most successful Chaser, who is also very close to celebrating another milestone - losing half his body weight , joined ITV ’s The Chase for its first ever episode in 2009, and in recent years has been on a life-changing health transformation after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Mark, 59, also has a very important reason to stay on top of his health.
A proud dad to son Lawrence, 7, from his marriage to ex-wife Katie Labbett , he admits that his main mission, having once weighed 29 stone at his heaviest, is to stay healthy - and be around for his little boy for as long as possible. Opening up about his incredible body transformation, he says: "I’ve been a yo-yo dieter and my heaviest was about 29st, then I got fit and was down to about 25st. But I’ve always actually been surprisingly fit.
Even at 25st I could do a proper pumping hour on the cross trainer." Of his weight now, he admits: "I’ve been meaning to go and get a set of bathroom scales. My guess is about 18st, maybe in the 17s.
I’ve got roughly the same physique as I had when I was playing rugby at 18 years old, but I’ve got less muscle so that might take it down even more." And Mark admits that being alive to see his son graduate one day is what drives him forward more than anything. "One of my life goals, because I was a more mature father when Lawrence appeared, is to see him graduate.
He’ll be 21 when I’m 71, 72, and that’s my mission. I’m just happy he’s a well-adjusted young man. He’s inherited my maths ability, which I’m not upset about either.
He’s healthy, smart and tall – what more could you want?" Having been diagnosed with diabetes back in 2017, Mark began wearing a Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring Patch last year, which has helped both his diabetes and his weight-loss goals. "I’d lost a bit of weight before then, but last winter I had my first real attack of arthritis and it was a shock to the system because up to that point you think you’re immortal. Then suddenly, when you struggle to walk up stairs, you realise you’re not.
I’d been gradually letting my glucose levels slide and enjoyed too many cheats, so when I put the monitor on I was shocked by my glucose levels." And the towering TV star says he's dealing with the condition far better these days. " It’s been a real eye-opener.
I’ve been doing panto with it on and you can almost see the glucose level in real time. It’s made me realise I’ve got to be far more disciplined with carbs and sugars." He adds: "I have no ‘off’ button, in the same way for some unfortunate people when it comes to alcohol, they can just keep going.
I could have a couple of chocolate bars and then reach for another." Mark previously explained that he began to see significant weight loss during the initial Covid lockdown in 2020. He had already lost around three stone prior to the pandemic, but with nurseries closed and his "hyperactive" toddler keeping him activs, he found himself shedding further pounds.
In a conversation with the Loose Women pane in 2023, he shared: "I found at the end of the evening instead of going to the fridge for late night snacking, all I could do was collapse on the bed." His pet Labrador Retriever, Baloo, also played a keyrole in his weight loss journey, as he discussed on ITV's The Pet Show with Dermot O'Leary and Joanna Page: "I was walking him around the fields, taking me places..
. I think he's helped a lot, simply because I'm doing more activity." The most dramatic change was to the famous Chaser's diet, particularly reducing sugar and carbs, contributing to what Mark calls a "complete nutrition overhaul" Mark achieved his weight loss without any surgical intervention, as he was advised against a gastric band due to how his body processes sugar.
Mark wears the Dexcom ONE+ Continuous Glucose Monitor that helps him track his glucose levels to manage his Type 2 diabetes. For more information, visit Dexcom.com * Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
.
