Premier League cult hero looks very awkward on TV after The Chase star makes rude joke about him on show

A FORMER Premier League hero looked VERY AWKWARD as he was left red-faced on hit TV show The Chase by cheeky Anne Hegerty.

This ex-striker is a West Ham legend after his 2012 play-off final goal helped the Hammers seal promotion back to the Premier League.

The now 40-year-old came through the ranks at Chelsea’s academy and scored four goals in 25 top-flight matches for the Blues.

He enjoyed loan spells at Wolves, Charlton and Aston Villa before he was snapped up by West Ham in 2006.

And he went on to stay at Upton Park for nine seasons, during which time he also earned international recognition.

After making his England debut in a friendly against Spain in 2009, he won six more caps for the Three Lions throughout his career.

This 6ft 3in frontman left the East End for Scottish giants Celtic in 2015 but he struggled to make an impact at Parkhead.

After just four Premiership appearances, he headed to America for a brief spell at USL Western Conference outfit Sacramento Republic before finishing his playing days with Persib Bandung in Indonesia.

Since retiring, the ace entered the world of punditry and has worked for talkSPORT and BT Sports - which is now known as TNT Sports.

The man we are talking about is, of course, Carlton Cole.

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Fans love seeing him on the big screen, especially when covering former club West Ham’s exploits in Europe, and he certainly looks a natural in front of the cameras.

However, Cole appeared to be a little embarrassed and uncomfortable after his recent appearance on ITV’s The Chase.

The much-loved Croydon-born star shared a clip of his attempt to beat the Chasers on X, formerly known as Twitter, this week.

And it showed Hegerty - known as the Governess - leaving him squirming dressed in brown trousers, a white tee underneath a denim shirt in front of a laughing audience. 

The brief footage showed the usually no-nonsense Chaser telling him: “Carlton, big fan of your football skills,” before cheekily adding: “I love your tackle.”

That led to the embarrassed former footy star letting out a huge: “Woahhhh.”

Then Hegerty continued: “And it seems like you’ve got some quiz chops as well.”

Cole accompanied the clip with the caption: “Enjoyed my time on #TheChase #BeatTheChasers @itvchase @itv.

“Also donated to @whufoundation who I work with quite closely to make the community a better place for all. It’s now available to stream on @itvxofficial.”

“Oi oi,” responded one fan to the clip, while another declared that they “loved it”.

Some had already tuned in to watch the full episode and were quick to praise him for his efforts - although you will have to see it yourself to see if he managed to Beat The Chasers.

“You were fab Carlton,” said one of his followers.

While a fellow viewer added: “Yes brother you done well and you well enjoyed it.”