By her own admission, Anne Hegerty’s life has been a “chapter of accidents”.
Best known to millions as “The Governess” from The Chase in both Australia and UK – a role she’s celebrating a decade and 15 years of, respectively, this year – Anne was at her lowest point when the opportunity of a lifetime came calling.
A former journalist, she segued into publishing, proofreading and ghostwriting in the 1990s. And things were good – until she started missing deadlines and losing clients. Before she knew it, she was drowning in debt.
“Probably the low moment was New Year’s Day 2008, when the doorbell rang and I opened it, and it was a bailiff,” she tells TV WEEK. “I forget what I said – I think we sort of discussed that I would beg my friends for the money to pay whatever it was I hadn’t paid.”
Thankfully, a lifeline came in the form of a woman from the housing association through which she’d bought her apartment – who realised she hadn’t been making her payments.
“She walked straight in across a pile of unread mail and said, ‘Right, we’re going to fix this,’” Anne recalls.
Anne was given a social worker, who hooked her up with an emergency fund through the water company and referred her to an advisor who helped her apply for Disability Living Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance – all things Anne had no knowledge of.
“I was able to take a breath and try to figure out what I was doing,” Anne says.
Then The Chase UK came along. “Just in time,” she notes.
“I didn’t really know what I could do with just being who I am,” adds Anne, who was diagnosed with autism in 2003. “But somehow it all seems to have worked out. They invented a TV vehicle that turns out to be perfect for me.”
Indeed they did! During her time as a Chaser, Anne has cemented herself as a favourite among viewers and contestants – her stern demeanour, quick wit and formidable intellect making her a fierce adversary.
While new additions to the line-up may keep the show fresh for viewers, the 66-year-old reveals it comes with a certain amount of precariousness for the existing cast.
“We aren’t paid any kind of salary or retainer,” she explains. “We’re paid per show we do. So any time you introduce a new Chaser, that’s less work for the rest of us and therefore less money.
“But at the same time, if that Chaser is really popular and improves the ratings, the entire pie could get bigger.”
For someone who grew up wanting to be famous, Anne now can’t walk down the street without being recognised – in Australia, the UK and even New Zealand, where the UK version is hugely popular.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to be famous as or for, I just thought I’d really like to be,” she admits. “Honestly, it’s every bit as good as I thought it would be!”
So could we one day see her name up in Hollywood lights?
“It would be nice to be in a big blockbuster movie,” she says. “That would be fantastic!”
The Chase Australia airs Monday to Friday at 5pm on Channel Seven
