Anne Hegerty has revealed she was originally given a very different nickname on The Chase, before becoming known as The Governess in households up and down the country.
For over a decade, Anne has been one of the quizzing experts on the ITV gameshow, where she plays under her Governess moniker.
However, in a new interview with The Guardian, she shared that this wasn’t always the plan.
When she first joined the show, Anne told the newspaper, she was supposed to have been known as The Headmistress, before host Bradley Walsh had a change of heart.
“I don’t know, he just saw something governessy in me,” she said.
Anne also claimed she much prefers “The Governess” to the previous “Headmistress” title, as a governess “can basically do what she likes, whereas a headmistress has a board of governors she has to report to”.
Earlier this year, Anne told Loose Women that there was supposed to have been a series of character traits that went alongside her on-screen persona, which also ended up falling by the wayside.
“Originally the character was going to be more sort of creepy than she is,” she said. “I remember saying I wanted her to be a sort of cross between Caroline Aherne as Mrs Merton and Daphne Fowler on Eggheads. I wanted everyone to think in terms of Delores Umbridge and the creepiest thing about her was those damn kittens.
“But then a friend of mine said that is a bit too different from what you are like and you won’t be able to maintain that.”
However, Anne isn’t the only one of the existing Chasers whose nickname changed over time.
New addition Darragh Ennis was first supposed to have been introduced as The Professor, but had a very specific reason for requesting that this be changed.
Meanwhile, Jenny Ryan was also given a different tile before The Vixen, although she asked for a different one as she felt it was inappropriate for her.
Read Anne Hegerty’s full interview in The Guardian here.