Known for her sharp wit on The Chase, quizmaster Anne Hegerty is equally forthright about her decision to embrace single life while explaining why the traditional path of parenthood isn’t for her.
Hegerty revealed insights into her personal life while speaking to the Daily Mail at The Paul Strank Roofing Charity Gala at The Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London, recently.
The quizzer shared that her experience with autism has made it a “struggle” for her to form close connections and to have “anyone else in the house” but that she is quite content with how things are.
“I think an awful lot of autistic people don’t get married or settle down,” she explained to the publication.
“I don’t even have pets for that reason and my capacity for living with other people is just diminishing. I need a huge amount of alone time.
“I just always feel like I want more space than someone can possibly give me. If I wanted a relationship I’d go out and get it but I honestly don’t.”
In a previous interview with the Daily Mail, Hegerty explained that enjoying her own company is another reason why she has chosen not to have children.
“I did want children but I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate it a lot,” she said.
“About 20 years ago there was a little boy and girl who lived near me and they used to come around my house. We managed to restrict it to just one hour a day and they always wanted to stay longer.
“They were absolutely smashing kids and we’re now friends on Facebook but I couldn’t even handle that for more than an hour.”
Although Hegerty finds the joy of her own company more than enough that hasn’t stopped speculation regarding her relationship status.
In a recent interview with The Express, Hegerty opened up about the reference to an unknown “husband” that appeared on her Wikipedia page out of the blue, telling the publication that “he’s out there somewhere”.
For a number of years, the page has stated that the popular quizmaster is married to a man named Jake.
“My brother didn’t help because he said to me, ‘I want to meet this guy’,” she told the publication.
“I’m like ‘No. This is not somebody I know’.
“I imagine he exists.
“It’s too odd a name to make up. I imagine he exists and he’s out there somewhere.
“Either he vandalised the page or somebody he knows did.”