THE CHASE'S GOVERNESS 'I WAS AT ROCK BOTTOM'

Quiz star Anne Hegerty reveals how the show saved her and confessesses

- Words: Tamara Cullen, Carolyn Hiblen.

By her own admission, Anne Hegerty's life has been a "chapter of accidents". Best known to millions around the world as The Governess from both the British and Aussie versions of The Chase, it's a role she's now been in for 15 years.

However, before she became a global superstar, Anne, 67, 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 '90s. 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 to find a bailiff," she says. "I forget what I said, but I think we sort of discussed that I would beg my friends for the money to pay whatever it was I hadn't paid."