Mark Labbett has opened up about his impressive weight loss, revealing the heartbreaking motivation behind his new slimmed-down figure. 

The professional quizzer, 59, who joined ITV ’s The Chase for its debut in 2009 as The Beast, is a father seven-year-old Lawrence, who he shares with ex-wife Katie.

And while his downfall has been dubbed as sugar, Mark has shed a whopping 10 stone.

In an new interview, the TV star has revealed that he now weighs nearly 17 stone, which is a vast contrast to the 29 stone at his heaviest.

He told OK!: ‘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.’

As he continues with his weight loss journey, Mark is feeling good, especially for son Lawrence’s sake. 

Mark Labbett has opened up about his impressive weight loss and revealed his heartbreaking mission to watch his son grow up and graduate university

The professional quizzer, 59, who joined ITV ’s The Chase for its debut in 2009 as The Beast, is a father seven-year-old Lawrence, who he shares with ex-wife Katie (pictured left in 2017)

The Chase icon also said that one of his life goals is as a mature father to be around to see his son graduate.

He explained: ‘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,’ Mark joked.

It comes after Mark appeared on Good Morning Britain, where the star denied undergoing weight loss surgery.

The quiz champion admitted that he lost his appeтιтe after having Covid, and now struggles to finish a meal.

Host Susanna Reid asked: ‘How did you do it?’ to which he quickly replied: ‘Not with a gastric band. I’m not too sure how.

‘I weighed myself the other day and I was just under 19 stone and at my heaviest, I was just a shade under 185 kilos – 29 stone.

‘Essentially I’ve been carrying a sack of coal on my back all these years.’

The ITV gameshow genius nicknamed ‘The Beast’, said he has dropped a staggering five trouser sizes by cutting down on sugar and carbs (pictured inn 2021)

The star previously revealed to The Sun that while he was tempted to go under the knife he instead decided to get fit and healthy the old fashioned way 

The star previously revealed to The Sun that while he was tempted to go under the knife but instead decided to get fit and healthy the old fashioned way.

Read More The Chase star Mark Labbett shows off his incredible 10 stone weight loss

He said: ‘I’m not really trying to diet, I’m just being sensible, people say you’ve had the gastric sleeve or band, and I haven’t.

‘I was tempted by the gastric band but a good friend of mine who’s a GP, said my problem is sugar, I have a sweet tooth.

‘A gastric band is useless for me because sugar metabolises quite quickly, so I’ve done it the old fashion way by eating a bit less and I’ve tried to go to the gym.

A gastric band is a band that’s placed around the stomach, creating a small pouch towards the top which takes less food to fill.

He also revealed how he shed the pounds, saying he’s been ‘eating less and drinking more’ and focusing on his health.

Mark said he completely changed his diet due to battling diabetes and said that played a part of his weight loss.

‘I think the diabetes may have helped because I eat a lot less. I drink a lot more fluids,’ he said about his weight loss.’

The quizzer known as The Beast and Hayley Palmer split in May, just days after their one year anniversary, leaving the blonde in therapy for ‘betrayal trauma’

Hayley previously claimed Mark ended their romance because he didn’t want to divorce ex, Katie , 32, (pictured together) with whom he shares seven-year-old son Lawrence  

It comes after Mark took a savage swipe at ex Hayley Palmer and claimed their relationship was ‘not serious’.

The quizzer and TV presenter, 43, split in May, just days after their one year anniversary, leaving the blonde in therapy for ‘betrayal trauma’.

Hayley previously claimed Mark ended their romance because he didn’t want to divorce ex, Katie, 32.

In a interview with The Sun the ITV star revealed that he would only ever consider ending his marriage when he met the right person.

Telling the publication: ‘It will happen if either Katie or I get with someone serious, then it might obviously be a different matter’.

Mark and nurse Katie split in 2020 after seven years of marriage and continue to co-parent their son, often sharing snaps of family outings to social media.