TV Interview
Anne Hegerty tells Woman how she deals with negativity and she’s not bothered by what people think
Anne Hegerty: ‘I know what I look like and I don’t care’
A‘I’M NEVER LONELY AND RARELY BORED’
nne Hegerty is one of the brightest people on British TV. Most well-known for her stony exterior as she thrashes contestants as ‘The Governess’ on ITV’S hit game show The Chase, 62-year-old Anne also has a softer side – something she showed when she opened up about her autism on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2018.
And, as she speaks exclusively to Woman about her latest show, Britain’s Brightest Celebrity Family, Anne reveals why she feels so lucky to have made a career out of quizzing, what she’s learnt from Bradley Walsh and why it takes more than just brains to become a Chaser...
Hi Anne! How’s the past year been?
I feel like the luckiest person in the UK because when lockdown hit, I was burnt out. I was running from one thing to another and thinking I could do with a bit of a sabbatical. So it was fantastic getting so much solitude and time in which to sort things out, do things at my own pace and catch up on sleep!
Would you say you’re an introvert? Yes. I’m not sure whether that’s more to do with me being autistic, but I’m never lonely and I’m rarely bored. I never feel I’ve got too few people around, but I can easily get overwhelmed by people.
You’re currently presenting
Did you get tips from Bradley Walsh?
I didn’t ask him for advice, but anything I do right on Britain’s Brightest Celebrity Family is because I’ve been watching Bradley for so long. You learn from the best, so that’s been a huge help.
Do you go through the questions first and work out the answers?
Yes, always! The question setters feel confident that if there was something
wrong, I’d spot it. This may not always be right, of course, because there’s a ton of stuff I don’t know – although nobody believes me.
How did you get into quizzing originally?
I was a nerdy kid. I always liked reading, doing tests and quizzes and watching them on TV. I did Mastermind in the 1980s, then Fifteen to One, then Brain of Britain twice in the 1990s. But I didn’t start doing quizzing at national level until 2009, about the time The Chase was starting, so it all happened really quite suddenly and was almost accidental.
Are there more men in the quiz world? There are tons more men, but there are plenty of women quizzers who could do this, so I’m very lucky to have this job. Although, to be a Chaser, you have to be quite tough-minded and thick-skinned. You have to not mind if people are going to talk about you on social media and be someone whose mental health is not going to be rocked by seeing someone say, ‘You could lose a few pounds.’
How do you deal with the negativity? I know I could lose more than a few pounds, so I don’t care if you say that. It’s accurate. Comments don’t really bother me, as they’re not by and large talking about anything I particularly care about. I know what I look like and I don’t care. I mind more when they say unpleasant things about the other Chasers. At that point, I’m liable to wade in and be like, ‘Don’t make me turn this car around.’
What would you say is your greatest achievement?
In 2012, I was the top-scoring woman in the world quiz championships. I never have been any other year, as I always get beaten by a woman from Croatia and, more recently, a couple of women from America too. But, as well as that, being on The Chase and actually lasting in the I’m a Celebrity jungle without walking out!
Britain’s Brightest
Celebrity Family airs on Thursdays at 8.30pm on ITV