Destroying Doubt

Shaun Wallace On Why He’s Determined To Mastermind His Own Legacy.

- Donna Fleming

On TV he’s stern and gruff, always clad in a dark suit and with an intimidating gaze that can make people quake.

So it’s no wonder that visitors to Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter do a double take when they realise the smiling and shirtless man splashing around in the water on a baking-hot summer’s day is Shaun Wallace – also known as the Dark Destroyer – from the hit British quiz series, The Chase.

And when a couple of them call out to him as he’s being photographed for the Weekly, asking if he’s “that guy off The Chase”, Shaun couldn’t be friendlier. “Yes, I am,” he says. “Just give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be with you.”

And sure enough, once he’s finished the shoot, he heads over to chat to several fans of the show. He happily poses for selfies, sporting a huge grin that’s the complete antithesis of his chaser persona.

Shaun says that while he is serious on The Chase – “Quizzing is a very serious business, I’m not there to have a laugh” – it’s a different story when it comes to meeting fans of the show.

“I am very conscious of the fact that it’s members of the public who have made it such a success so I will always stop and talk to them. It is my way of saying thank you.”

The upbeat Londoner had plenty of chances to show that gratitude to Kiwi viewers during a whirlwind trip to New Zealand to promote his autobiography, Chasing the Dream.