The Chase star Darragh Ennis has shared an insight into his relationship with his fellow Chasers, clearing up viewer misconceptions about how much time he spends with his co-stars.
In a new interview, the 45-year-old quizzer revealed that the show is recorded in blocks, meaning the cast have a "huge amount of time off" and don't spend as much time together as viewers may think.
© ITV"We don't see each other that much, but everyone thinks we live in a house together," he told DublinLive, joking that he sees more of the production crew and host Bradley Walsh than the other Chasers.
Who is Darragh Ennis?
Darragh is a professional quizzer on ITV's hit programme, The Chase.
The Irish TV star made history as the first former contestant to become a Chaser when he competed against and ultimately defeated Paul Sinha in 2017. After wowing the producers, Darragh was offered a position as a Chaser.
© ITVAs well as a professional quizzer, Darragh is a neuroscientist. When he first joined the ITV programme, Darragh was working in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Oxford. However, when his lab moved from Oxford to Glasgow, the TV star stopped working his day job.
Darragh is also an author, having published THE BODY: Ten Things You Should Know in 2024, which provides insights into the human body through ten essays.
Darragh's home life
Darragh shares two children with his wife Joan, whom he met whilst studying at Maynooth University.
In January last year, Darragh opened up about losing his father to dementia the previous July. During an appearance on ITV's Loose Women, the quizzer revealed that he struggled to cope with the high-pressure environment of The Chase and was encouraged by producers to take time off and undergo counselling.
© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock"I was broken inside and I didn't realise," the neuroscientist explained, before going on to reveal how he became unusually overwhelmed by pressure during filming.
"On The Chase, there is a two-minute gap right at the end - the last thing we do is really, really high pressure, just by nature," he said. "Normally when I start making mistakes, naturally I'd be able to handle it. I'd just plant my feet in my head psychologically and go, 'I made a mistake' and keep going.
"This time when I went to put my feet down, there was nothing underneath them. I just fell away. I weirdly got stressed and camera shy, which I never do. The pressure overwhelmed me completely."
Who are the other Chasers?
There are six Chasers in total.
Darragh, who is known as The Menace on the show, is joined by Mark Labbett, aka The Beast, who is an original Chaser alongside Shaun Wallace (The Dark Destroyer).
© ShutterstockMeanwhile, Anne Hegerty, who goes by The Governess, joined the series in 2010, before Paul Sinha (The Sinnerman) joined the following year.
Jenny Ryan (The Vixen) is the latest female addition to the series, having joined in 2015.
