He’s made his name with a controversial show that catches would-be internet se* perverts in televised stings.
But now Chris Hansen has found himself on the receiving end of his own hidden camera tactics, after the married NBC anchor was secretly filmed on an illicit date with a blonde television reporter 20 years his junior.
Hansen, 51, has allegedly been having an affair with Kristyn Caddell, a 30-year-old Florida journalist, for the last four months.
Last weekend he was recorded taking Miss Caddell on a romantic dinner at the exclusive Ritz-Carlton hotel in Man**apan, before spending the night at her Palm Beach apartment.
Hansen, who has two young sons, was caught in an undercover sting operation arranged by the National Enquirer.
Secret cameras filmed the couple as they arrived at the hotel for dinner and then drove back to her apartment – where the pair left, carrying luggage, at 8am the following day.
Hansen lives in Connecticut with his wife Mary, 53, but he has been spending more and more time in South Florida investigating the disappearance of James ‘Jimmy T’ Trindade – and allegedly sleeping with Miss Caddell.
A source told the newspaper the pair met in March, when they were both out with friends at the Blue Martini Lounge in Palm Beach.
Miss Caddell, who was once an intern with NBC in New York, introduced herself to Hansen in the VIP area, and ‘there was an immediate physical attraction between them’, according to the source.
The source alleged: ‘Chris and Kristyn got on so well that she ended up going back to his room at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach – and later boasted to pals about staying the night with him.’
The couple have allegedly continued to meet up in Miami and Palm Beach over the last few months, with Miss Caddell and her friends even flying to New York to spend a weekend boating with Hansen, the Enquirer reports.
According to the source: ‘Chris sends Kristyn flowers and tells her he loves her, but he still doesn’t seem all that motivated to leave his wife for her.
‘He’s telling her he loves his wife too, but they’ve grown apart over the years, and she’s not sure what he should do.’
Hansen has worked for NBC for two decades, but became famous with his controversial Dateline series To Catch a Predator.
The show’s producers work with online watchdog Perverted-Justice, whose volunteers pose as underage girls offering se* on the internet.
But when they arrive to meet the girls, they find themselves confronted by Hansen, his film crew and sometimes the police.
The Enquirer’s sting took place last weekend, and recorded the pair as they went for dinner at the Ritz-Carlton’s Angle restaurant on Friday at about 7pm.
Miss Caddell was dressed up in high heels and a short, revealing dress, and according to the source they spent much of the evening staring into each other’s eyes.
They left at 9.15pm, and went for a drive along the ocean front, before being filmed filling up Miss Caddell’s Jeep at a nearby gas station.
Then they drove to a liquor store, and Hansen emerged clutching a bag full of bottles. The couple returned to Miss Caddell’s apartment at 10pm.
At 8am on Saturday, they, with Hansen pulling luggage behind him, and she drove him to the airport.
A source told the Enquirer:
‘They were both wearing different clothes from the night before… Kristyn’s hair was dishevelled as if she’d just rolled out of bed.’
‘Betrayal’: Chris Hansen with his wife, Mary. The couple have two sons together. He has allegedly been cheating on her for the last four months
