SH0CKING: Anne Hegerty Reveals Who She Wants To Replace Bradley Walsh On The Chase
Bradley Walsh and Anne Hegerty have worked together since 2009 (Image: ITV)
Anne Hegerty once named the person she hopes to replace Bradley Walsh on The Chase, if he ever chooses to leave the ITV quiz show. Bradley, 66, has fronted the programme since its launch in 2009 and has become one of its defining figures alongside the chasers. Anne, 68, has been a chaser on the show since its second series in 2010 and is now best known to fans as The Governess.
Although she admitted she can’t bear the thought of Bradley leaving The Chase, like many viewers, she did reveal who she hopes would step into his shoes if he ever decides to depart. “I can imagine Omid Djalili doing it. It’d be quite fun. Who else? Maybe Stephen Mulhern but I think Omid is probably my preference. But, you know, Bradley is irreplaceable: let’s face it,” she told Metro.co.uk.
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Anne said she can’t bear the thought of Bradley leaving The Chase, but would choose Omid Djalili to step in if he ever did (Image: Getty)
Bradley has shown no signs that he is willing to step down from The Chase, however, there is one factor that could push him to make that decision.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2025, he said: “Until people say they’ve had enough and start switching off, I’ll do it. We’ve had such an extraordinary time together. It’s the best job in the world.”
Omid, 60, made quite the impression on Anne when he appeared on the celebrity edition of The Chase in 2020.
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Despite the daunting prospect of going head-to-head with The Governess, the comedian and actor wasn’t deterred from taking the high offer of £128,000.
In the tense round, Omid came nail-bitingly close to winning the huge amount for his charity, but narrowly missed out.
In a rare show of admiration, Anne gave Omid a standing ovation, admitting it was something she had never done before in her 10 years on the programme.
“Can I just say I think you were absolutely awesome. I have never done this before but I am giving you a round of applause,” the TV personality said as she rose from her seat.
Although Omid has never commented on the prospect of one day presenting The Chase, he did reveal that his appearance on the celebrity edition of the show led to a job offer from ITV.
“It was offered to me about 10 minutes after I’d failed epically as a contestant on The Chase: Celebrity Special,” he said.
“In the green room, the producers told me about their new quiz format and how they thought I’d be a totally leftfield choice as presenter. ITV were gobsmacked at the idea of me doing it. That appealed to me.”
The show in question was Winning Combination, which Omid presented for two series between 2020 and 2021.