The Chase's Anne Hegerty's 'bust-up' with ITV bosses over rival show job offer

The Chase brainbox Anne Hegerty has spoken out about being barred from flexing her intellectual muscles on "Celebrity Mastermind" by ITV chiefs. The quizzing virtuoso, better known as The Governess, was keen to take part in the BBC's intellectual battleground but revealed that higher-ups at ITV put their foot down.

Anne previously said: "The trouble is I'm not allowed to do any other [shows]."

She continued with a revelation that left fans intrigued, "I mean I got tapped up for Celebrity Mastermind a few years ago, but the producer said 'absolutely not, we're not letting you do it'".

Despite this setback, The Governess has no intention of departing from her beloved role on "The Chase", which she joined in 2010. When queried about her tenure on the popular gameshow, Anne's response exuded commitment: "As long as they'll have me, really. I don't have any plans to retire."

She added, praising the show that keeps her on her toes, "It's [the show] the little workhorse that makes everything else possible, and I love doing it. It's the best job I've ever had, so I'm happy to keep going as long as they want me for.", reports the Daily Star.

While the cerebral champion couldn't appear on "Celebrity Mastermind", she did grace our screens in the 2018 edition of the jungle extravaganza, "I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! ", standing shoulder to shoulder with celebs like victorious Harry Redknapp and runner-up Emily Atack.

Anne Hegerty, known as The Governess on The Chase, has let slip a behind-the-scenes secret to Metro, confessing: "I'm probably not supposed to tell you, so I'm telling you, it's actually the producers."

She divulged further details about the inner workings of the show, adding: "The message gets passed down to the floor, and that's how we know what the offer is. We don't actually make it up ourselves, but we have to pretend that we did! ".

The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV1.