star has dished on his including their first date, and the issue they’re having to overcome.
The pair initially met at the National Television Awards in October last year, and their first conversation revolved around an exclusive Toby Carvery gold card.
The card has been given to a select few, including and Chloe Ferry, and seemingly means they can dine out at the restaurant for free.
Mark, 57, used his possession of the card as a wooing tactic.
‘I thought, “We’re getting on quite well here — let’s get the big guns out”.’
Luckily for him, it worked! ‘I was actually really impressed. I thought, “I haven’t seen this before”,’ recalled Hayley to
Hayley, 41, was the one to make the next move when she invited him to attend the Dirty Dancing press night with her in January.
They had an enjoyable evening, and Mark, who has starred on the ITV quiz show since it began in 2009, was impressed with how she handled the attention on him but was unsure if his feelings were reciprocated.
‘I can’t read women with the aid of a road map. I am utterly useless,’ he admitted.
‘At the end of the evening, I was going, “I really like her but I can’t pick up if she likes me or not”.
‘So I thought, let’s take refuge in honesty and said, “I really like you, is there any chance of another date?”‘
She happily accepted, and the pair have now been dating for six months.
Despite their substantial amount of time getting to know each they’ve only been on a few dates. This is due to the distance between them – Hayley lives in London’s Chelsea, while Mark is in Rotherham.
Although, he is considering a move to the UK capital and the pair were able to bond while on a trip to Los Angeles.
One thing that doesn’t bother him is their age gap.
‘Obviously, I’m a little bit older than her, but I think it depends on who you’re with. I’d argue I’m a very childish 57,’ he pointed out.
Mark was previously married to Katie, 31, and the pair share son Lawrence. In 2020, he blamed their 27-year age gap and lockdown for their marital woes.
