The Chase’s Anne Hegerty reveals the two people who inspired The Governess

CHASER Anne Hegerty has revealed that the inspiration behind The Governess was two relatives she disliked.

The 63-year-old spoke at The Sun’s International Women’s Day event quizzer said her strident grandmother and an aunt are behind the stern personality she employs The hunt.

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“I come from a very feminist family from my mother,” she said.
“My great-grandmother advocated for women’s voices before the suffragette movement.

“She did that in the 1890s and met my great-grandfather. He saw her yell “votes for women” and thought “this is the one for me”.

“Two of her daughters went to university, my great-aunt became a doctor and my grandmother studied history. I didn’t get along with my grandmother at all, but I channel her a bit for the governess.

“It’s you and one of my aunts that I didn’t get along with either. My inspiration are two women I didn’t like. You can use women you don’t like.”

Anne was joined by a reality star Fern McCann and Loose Women star Charlene White for the International Women’s Day event hosted by former BBC breakfast presenter Louise Minchin.

The panel at The Sun’s London headquarters was watched by an audience of 100 teenagers from mentoring group Girls Network and Greig City Academy.

Anne, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2003, also revealed that she didn’t learn to drive until recently because her mother never drove.

“Growing up, I was convinced that I couldn’t learn anything that my mother couldn’t,” she said.

“My mother was just fabulous. Everyone adored her and she had tremendous charm, and if she couldn’t learn something, I figured I couldn’t either.

“So I didn’t learn to drive until after she died because she couldn’t drive. There was always something in my brain that said, ‘I can’t do this’

“Now I love the freedom to drive – so you should never let anyone else in your family define you.”