Anne Hegerty is known to The Chase fans as The Governess – the fiery, sharp, and rarely rattled quizmaster that contestants can rarely beat.

But even Hegerty, 67, couldn’t hide her frustration after recently being beaten in a record-breaking episode of The Chase Australia.

The veteran quizmaster was outsmarted by four contestants, who together pocketed an eye-watering $141,000 – the biggest cash prize in the show’s Australian history, eclipsing the previous $129,000 record set in May.

Appearing on Sunrise on Tuesday, Hegerty dropped her famously stern persona as she reflected on the monumental loss.

‘The money is not coming out of my pay packet, but we don’t like losing, obviously,’ she told co-hosts Matt Shirvington and Natalie Barr.

‘The frustrating thing is I used to like trigonometry! I probably could have answered whatever that question was.’

Anne Hegerty (pictured) is known to The Chase fans as The Governess – the fiery, sharp, and rarely rattled quizmaster that contestants can rarely beat

Hegerty then revealed what her usual strategy for outsmarting the contestants in the final round.

‘You have to stay completely focused in the moment. If you just got something wrong, whether it was because you were an idiot or because it was something you literally didn’t know, chuck it away,’ she said.

‘Just focus on what Larry is saying, just look at Larry, just simply answer the next question.’

In May, it was reported that Channel Seven’s The Chase was facing the axe amid dwindling ratings.

According to News Corp, a search was ‘said to be underway’ to find a replacement for the program, which has been running on Seven since 2015.

The reason for the shifting attitudes towards the Larry Emdur-hosted game show is apparently lacklustre ratings that have failed to win its 5pm time slot.

The long-running series has been consistently bested by Channel Nine game show rival Tipping Point, hosted by Todd Woodbridge which airs at the same time.

A look at TV ratings shows The Chase behind Channel Nine’s Tipping Point each day, albeit by a relatively small margin.

Hegerty couldn’t hide her frustration after recently being beaten in a record-breaking episode of The Chase Australia

Appearing on Sunrise on Tuesday, Hegerty dropped her famously stern persona as she reflected on the monumental loss

The publication claimed that the ratings results were causing ‘panic’ in the upper echelons at Seven, with the decision to axe or not to axe falling to Angus Ross – Seven’s recently appointed Group Managing Director of Television.

However, Seven rubbished claims the network were looking to replace Larry as host of The Chase in a bid to ‘revive’ the show.

‘The Chase doesn’t need reviving. It remains very competitive in its timeslot, delivering a big audience night in, night out,’ said a Seven spokesperson.

‘We are about to launch a new push for the show, offering the biggest cash prize in its history.

‘Larry will absolutely continue to host The Chase. To suggest otherwise is nonsense and deliberately misleading.’