The Governess, Anne Hegerty’s cruel television alter ego, is most known for repeatedly humiliating would-be quiz champions on The Chase. But the former journalist, who received an autism diagnosis later in life, admits that while she does well on tests, she struggles greatly with routine chores.
The chaser sits down to finish 25 quizzes every morning after making a big cup of coffee for herself. It’s “the simplest portion” of her day, she claims.
“The challenging tasks, such as going upstairs, taking a shower, and drying off, come next. the act of actually leaving the house after putting on some clothing, making sure they are clean, and doing so.
She admitted to the BBC Access All program that “all of that is hard work.” “I feel like I’ve scaled a mountain,” you say.
Anne Hegerty, 64, developed a passion for learning early in life.
She explains that she developed the ability to memorize information when she was a young geek.
“I made the decision to list American presidents in reverse this morning as a way of falling back asleep. And when I arrived in Lincoln, I thought… I just got up and definitely don’t want to go to bed.”
Hegerty converted that talent into a career when she was hired as The Governess on the popular ITV quiz program The Chase in 2010. In this capacity, she alternately intimidates, mocks, and occasionally flirts with participants to distract them from their task at hand.
She appeared in the 2018 season of I’m A Celebrity thanks to her 12-year run on the program. Mastermind, Brain of Britain, Get Me Out of Here!, and The Chase in Australia are other examples.
But she had to overcome significant obstacles to achieve her TV career.
After watching a television show about developmental impairment and recognizing some of the characteristics in herself, Hegerty was given an autism diagnosis at the age of 45.
When she is exhausted or under stress, she suffers from loud noises and has sensory difficulties.
She needs a lot of energy to do daily duties, and when she’s under a lot of stress, she has to follow instructions that break down chores like organizing her laundry into step-by-step components.
“It will instruct you to “walk upstairs, take the laundry bag, put it on the floor, sort the tights into this container, sort the hot wash into that container, carry the bag downstairs, and put the tights into the washing machine.”
“I simply have to put it all in writing. Before I accomplish something, I need a lot of time to sort of get all my neurons lined up and focused “she claims.
Anne Hegerty claims that before joining The Chase, she was “seriously struggling” after losing her job of twenty years as a copy editor and proofreader.
She admits that while she was skilled at proofreading, she struggled to finish the project, package it, and send an invoice.
2008 marked the “low point” for her. Hegerty was late on her rent, there were unread bills all around the hallway, and bailiffs showed up.
Access All can be heard on BBC Sounds
Listen to Anne explain more about life as The Governess, getting an autism diagnosis in her forties, and her theory on how bailiffs are similar to vampires in the most recent Access All episode.
Plus Sean Dilley, a BBC News correspondent, talks about his grief about having to say goodbye to Sammy, his guide dog, after ten years of marriage.
Fortunately, a representative from her housing association happened to be nearby at the moment and saw that Hegerty required assistance.
Hegerty relates, “She said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll fix this. She found me a wonderful man named Jeff as a social worker.
Jeff assisted Hegerty in applying for other benefits, such as Jobseeker’s Allowance and Disability Living Allowance, as well as obtaining funding from her utility supplier to assist with bill payments.
It merely offered her a “breathing space” so she could figure out what was happening.
Hegerty’s passion for learning had not diminished, and around a year later, she learned about the UK’s elite quizzing circuit.
She was an unknown when she showed up to her first quiz in Liverpool. Are You An Egghead: Second Series was being auditioned by the BBC at the time? Hegerty tried it out as well. She participated in the episode’s filming and finished third.
She chuckles, “At the time, I didn’t realize what a little, insular world quizzing is. “Everyone in the quiz soon realized I had performed exceptionally well. Who is this new woman? they asked.”
Hegerty continued to the British phase of the Quizzing World Championships when he had a memorable chance encounter with another quiz enthusiast.
“He said you should watch it, it’s going to be incredibly good,” after mentioning that he had recently finished producing the pilot series of a new program called The Chase.
Mark “The Beast” Labbett, who has been a part of The Chase from its start, provided the tip. Anne Hegerty seized the opportunity to try out for the show’s second season when it presented itself, and the rest is history.
Anne Hegerty says she is happy she got her autism diagnosis now that she has had time to think about how her brain functions. Additionally, it helped her understand how neurotypical people—including the ones she tests—act.
She claims she now realizes that some of the things she once found irritating were attempts at kindness. Everyone is merely attempting to understand it.
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