Bradley Walsh has been accused of “fat-shaming” a contestant on The Chase during Tuesday’s episode. The presenter, 44, welcomed four players battling to beat the chaser, Shaun Wallace, known as The Dark Destroyer, on the ITV game show. The group consisted of Sarah from Worcester, Martyn from Pont-y-Clun, Hannah from Blackburn, and Neil from Mansfield. Sarah introduced herself as a 60-year-old miniature artist to Wallace and viewers.
After revealing her job, Walsh quipped: “Oh, well you look big enough to me!”. Sarah laughed and said, “I'm quite short,” before explaining that she makes mini Gothic figurines for doll houses. “I make elaborate things like little witches' potion cabinets and little Gothic items for vampires and things like that,” she said. The Chase fans were unimpressed with Walsh’s joke, branding the comment “disgusting” and “old-fashioned”.
“Fat shaming? How original, Brad, that was less funny than the menace,” one wrote on X. “Did Bradley just call her fat #TheChase,” another asked, to which a third replied: “Indeed. I switched off in total disgust.”. Someone else raged: “Brad should stop the fat shaming it's 2025 it's so old fashioned and out of date. #TheChase.”. The Standard has contacted Walsh’s representative for comment.
Walsh has fronted the popular quiz show since it first aired in 2009. There are currently six chasers - Anne Hegerty, Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan, and the most recent addition, Darragh Ennis - who take turns going up against contestants. Hegerty recently revealed she is paid per episode and therefore isn’t keen for another chaser to join the show as it would mean less chance for her to play.
“It’s not as if they’re going to up the budget and add a new salary, a new chaser would just mean the same number of shows shared between more people – so less money for everyone. So, hope not!”. The 66-year-old added that she gets along with all of her co-stars. “We know each other, and certainly on Beat the Chasers we tend to hang out a lot, because we’re all there at the same time,” she said.
