Anne Hegerty has spoken out to clarify comments she made about retiring from The Chase, insisting she has no intentions of leaving the ITV quiz show any time soon.

Over the weekend, it was reported in the Daily Star that Anne was considering stepping out of the limelight as she finds it “overwhelming” at times, particularly as her schedule has “gone bonkers” since participating in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! last year. 

However, now speaking to Metro, Anne has insisted she has no intentions of quitting the hit show. 

“I love doing The Chase,” she said. “I’m absolutely loyal to it and it will always be my top priority. I don’t intend ever to leave.

“But ever since coming out of the jungle it’s been an absolute whirlwind, and you can’t blame someone for idly fantasising about what it would be like not to have to do so much.”

Admitting she was worn out when she made the original comments at last week’s National Television Awards, Anne clarified: “The NTAs were the third thing I’d had to do that day, and I knew that the following day I would have to pack, check out of the hotel and drive home.

“I stopped at Beaconsfield Services for a meal, and was interrupted three times by people wanting selfies. Then I was going to have to do two filming jobs on the Thursday. So obviously, by the time I spoke on the red carpet, I was already feeling pretty tired!”

During her time in the Australian jungle, Anne won widespread praise for speaking candidly about living with autism.

She also admitted that being having her fellow campmates testing on her quizzing knowledge, for which she is famed, had helped her adjust to the tough environment. 

‘The Chase’ airs every weekday at 5pm on ITV.