The Chase fans pay tribute as guest who Shaun Wallace ‘flirted’ with dies of cancer

THE Chase fans have paid tribute to a guest who Shaun Wallace ‘flirted’ with after she died from cancer.

A repeated episode of the hit ITV quiz show aired last Wednesday and saw Shaun, aka The Dark Destroyer, take on another team of four.

One of the contestants was Debbie, who racked up a respectable £5,000 in her Cash Builder, before heading to the table to face Shaun.

He welcomed her with a cheeky, “Hello Debbie”, which prompted host Bradley Walsh to ask: “What was that?!”

Debbie teased back: “Hello Sean!,” and then turned to Bradley and said: “See I wasn’t being flirty was I?”

Bradley replied: “Well I don’t know about that!” before Shaun defended her and said she “wasn’t flirting” with him.

The Chase fans had enjoyed the exchange but were sad to learn Debbie had passed away since the episode first aired in 2021.

Debbie’s husband David took to Facebook days after the repeat and wrote: “Debbie, who was on the Chase on [Wednesday] and who Shaun flirted with sadly lost her 17 year battle with cancer last week.”

“She was my beautiful wife and it was tough to see but at the same time lovely to see her how she was.”

Asked when the episode had been filmed, David said: “It was filmed about three years ago. She was one of the last to be filmed before lockdown.

“She had breast cancer 14 years before this that had been away for a number of years, but about a year after she filmed this it came back in her bones and then in her brain.”

Viewers quickly sent their condolences to David and the rest of his family, with one writing: “How desperately sad for you all, she came across as a very lovely lady.”

Another added: “It’s a condition I have had, I am sure she enjoyed every minute of being on the show, brave lady.”

The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.