Category: Gogglebox

Gogglebox star George Gilbey’s mum Linda McGarry revealed her horrendous health scare which was brought on nine months after his shock death. 

Electrician George, 40, died on March 27 this year after falling 80ft through a skylight while working on the roof of a warehouse in Shoeburyness, Essex.

Linda has now revealed that she had a ‘full-blown stroke’ earlier this year and was rushed to hospital with a friend’s help. 

The former pub landlady has put the health scare down to the ‘shock’ of losing her beloved son.  

Linda told new! magazine: ‘Three months ago I had a full-blown stroke. I’m so lucky that my friends were here and they got me to the hospital. I’d just had a shower and was sitting on the settee with my phone next to me and my friend rang me and I couldn’t talk. 

Linda, who also suffers from Parkinson’s disease, was rushed to A&E to receive treatment which she admitted was ‘horrible’. 

Gogglebox star George Gilbey’s mum Linda McGarry revealed her horrendous health scare which was brought on nine months after his shock death; pictured with George in 2014

Electrician George, 40, died on March 27 this year after falling 80ft through a skylight while working on the roof of a warehouse in Shoeburyness, Essex; pictured 2016

She continued: ‘I had tubes down my throat – it was horrible. On the tests they couldn’t find where it had come from, but I think it’s the shock of George. There’s no bigger stress that what I went through. 

Thankfully Linda is now doing OK and managing her health with tablets. 

She continued: ‘I can’t change bed or do gardening – I have to do a little job and then sit down – but I’m mad on karaoke! It’s very good for Parkinson’s and keeps your mind active’.

Linda has had a horrendous time of late. She also lost her husband Pete McGarry in 2021 from bowel cancer – days after being told by medics he might have six months to live.

Linda, Pete and George were much loved by Channel 4 viewers before they left Gogglebox in 2014. 

The family was forced to quit when George entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Channel 5. Producers felt that he would no longer be considered a ‘normal’ member of the public with his newfound fame.

But they returned to the show two years later, with George later leaving again in 2018 after he was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter, Gemma Conway. Linda and Pete remained on the show until 2020.

George was cremated in late April after £7,000 was raised on GoFundMe to cover the unexpected costs of his send-off.

Linda has now revealed that she had a ‘full-blown stroke’ earlier this year and was rushed to hospital thanks to a friends help; pictured 2016

The former pub landlady has put the health scare down to the ‘shock’ of losing her son George, ‘There’s no bigger stress that what I went through’

Thankfully Linda is now doing OK and managing her health with tablets she continued: ‘I have to do a little job and then sit down – but I’m mad on karaoke! It’s very good for Parkinson’s’; pictured with George’s daughter Amelie

Linda also lost her husband Pete McGarry in 2021 from bowel cancer – days after being told by medics he might have six months to live

Linda says she has finally decided where she wants to scatter his ashes almost nine months on from the tragedy.

Alongside George’s former partner Gemma, she took her son’s daughter Amelie, eight, on holiday to Lanzarote earlier this year.

She has now revealed she plans to go back next year with the youngster – and appears to have suggested George’s ashes will be scattered in the same place as her husband’s.

Linda, who was formerly a pub landlady and a lifelong foster parent to some 140 children, said granddaughter Amelie had made a heartrending Christmas wish as she prepares for her first Christmas without her father.

She recalled: ‘She’s done her Christmas list and it will break your heart. It says, ‘You can forget all of that if you bring my daddy back.”

Despite the efforts of emergency services, George died at the scene after falling to his death at the industrial park in Shoeburyness.

Two men aged 47 and 36 have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and remain under investigation by Essex Police.

An inquest heard he suffered traumatic head and torso injuries after falling through the plastic aperture of the building used by EGL Homecare. 

Gogglebox star Sue Sheehan broke her silence on her Bell’s palsy diagnosis during the Channel 4 show on Friday night. 

Sue and her husband Steve, who are based in South London, appeared on the hit show after being absent from recent episodes. 

Sue candidly opened up about the side effects of living with Bell’s palsy, which causes temporary weakness or paralysis in the muscles on one side of the face. 

She explained: ‘I mean, I’ve had to relearn to do a couple of things since this Bell’s palsy’.

‘One is to speak through the side of my mouth, and the other one is chewing. Chewing takes a long time.’

‘I have offered to chew your food for you, but you declined,’ Steve added. ‘I’ve gotta say, you haven’t lost the sharp side of your tongue though, have you?’

Gogglebox star Sue Sheehan has broken her silence on her Bell’s palsy diagnosis during the Channel 4 show on Friday night

Sue and her husband Steve, who are based in South London, appeared on the hit show after being absent from recent episodes and candidly opened up about the side effects of living with Bell’s palsy

‘No, it’s sharper than ever actually,’ Sue jokingly responded.

Fans quickly rushed to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their well wishes to Sue with some thanking her for raising awareness. 

‘Best Wishes to Sue on #Gogglebox as she recovers from Bell’s Palsy x; Sending love to Sue; Poor Sue. Hope her Bell’s palsy clears soon.’

‘Fair play to Sue on #gogglebox for appearing with Bell’s palsy. Raising awareness can only be good, speaking as someone who is (hopefully temporarily) suffering from the same after brain surgery. I can imagine how much courage that takes.’

‘I didn’t know Sue had bells palsy hope she’s doing ok; Thoughts with Sue x one of my favourites on #gogglebox.’

During the episode of Gogglebox the cast reacted to Jamie Cooks Christmas, You Bet!, The 1% Club, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, and Netflix’s new spy thriller Black Doves.

The new eight-part Netflix series Black Doves, which was released last Thursday and scored a perfect 100 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes just one day after its launch, is a thriller starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw.

But despite featuring spies, murders and assassins, the show has been labelled a ‘Christmas series’ by delighted viewers, who claim the festive soundtrack and setting gave them the ‘Christmas feels’.

She explained: ‘I mean, I’ve had to relearn to do a couple of things since this Bell’s palsy. One is to speak through the side of my mouth, and the other one is chewing. Chewing takes a long time’

Fans quickly rushed to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their well wishes to Sue with some thanking her for raising awareness

During the episode of Gogglebox the cast reacted to Netflix’s new spy thriller Black Doves. The new eight-part series is a thriller starring Keira Knightley (pictured) and Ben Whishaw

Set in London in December, ahead of the big day, the thriller follows Keira’s character Helen Webb as an agent passing on secrets she’s managed to uncover from her politician husband (Andrew Buchan) to the Black Doves organisation.

Helen has been giving the firm – headed up by the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire) – political information for 10 years, but her position is compromised after the mother-of-two’s secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated.

Yet all the fighting and killing in the series isn’t enough to stop fans from branding it a festive offering, thanks to the Christmas tunes played in the background and the timing of the drama.

Gogglebox airs Fridays on Channel 4, with all episodes available to stream on demand.