Anne Hegerty, known as ‘The Governess’ on ITV’s The Chase, was briefly left speechless following a playful joke by host Bradley Walsh on the show this week.
The 64 year old presenter was leading the charge when his comment caught Anne off guard, struggling to keep it together.
Four new contestants – Clare from York, Paddy from Manchester, Rich from Peterborough and Alys from the Vale of Glamorgan – stepped up to test their knowledge against the Chaser, reports the Express.
During the episode, as the first contestant faced Anne, the set turned into a hubbub when Bradley posed the question: “Who is traditionally thought to have smuggled the Stuart Sapphire when he fled England in December 1688?”
Given the choices of Henry Morgan, Colonel Thomas Blood, or James II, Anne chose James II.
Sharing her reasoning, Anne disclosed: “I didn’t actually know about Stuart Sapphire. I know that he took within his great seal, without which laws couldn’t be passed, and threw it into the Thames.”
To which Bradley retorted with a jest: “Well luckily seals can swim.”
This prompted Anne to burst into laughter, pointing at Bradley but saying nothing further.
Bradley teased, “So jammy,” and then imitated a seal, complete with arm-flapping mimicking swimming strokes.
Anne laughed once more before she finally found her words. She said: “I’ve just got this image of him taking this seal around with him everywhere!”
The Governess pursed her lips and tried to keep her laughter in, playing up to the serious role she takes on as quiz master, as Bradley did one more seal impression. She corrected him, while giggling, saying: “That’s sea lions by the way, not seals.”
Anne burst into laughter again before finally managing to speak.
“I’ve just got this image of him taking this seal around with him everywhere!” she said, amused.
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While Bradley is known for his fun-loving personality on screen, he privately deals with a painful condition off-screen. The TV star has bravely spoken about his struggle with blepharitis, an eye condition that causes swelling and redness, during a past appearance on This Morning.
His puffy appearance has often sparked concern among viewers, but he explained to Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes: “People don’t realise I have seriously bad blepharitis. I have to take one pill a day for it, or I really struggle.”
Bradley also revealed that surgery would eventually be necessary to treat the condition, admitting: “I am going to need my eyes operated on at some point to sort it out.”
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