Gogglebox star Linda McGarry has spoken about her devastation following the death of her son, George Gilbey, who died aged 40 after falling from a height following an incident at work.
Speaking about the tragedy, the former Gogglebox star revealed that her son was “like [her] best friend,” telling the Thurrock Gazette: "I'm devastated… He had the best heart in the world. He was generous, funny and kind, with bundles of charm and buckets of personality.
© Tim P. Whitby"He did more in his 40 years than people do in 90 – he's even had dinner with the Prince of Dubai. He came to celebrity overnight but didn't really want to be – he was just normal. But it allowed him to do charity work – any time anyone contacted him about charity work, he prioritised it.”
Essex Police confirmed that George had been working at a height when he fell and that a man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. A spokesperson for the police said: "This is a joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive and our inquiries are ongoing.”
According to The Sun newspaper, George had been working at a warehouse without wearing a harness, and fell 80ft through a skylight. One person told the publication: “George had not been in a good way and maybe should not have been working at all. He was up on the roof and the others were shouting at him to get down and to be careful… He was shouting back that he was all right, even though he was not very steady on his feet.”
© Can Nguyen/ShutterstockGeorge has a seven-year-old daughter, Amelie, with his former partner, Gemma Conway. In the same interview, Gemma said that Amelie was George’s “absolute world,” adding: “He lived for that little girl and his mum.”
Linda, who has revealed that she has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, appeared on the Channel 4 show with her husband, Pete as well as George, who sadly passed away in 2021 from bowel cancer, just days following his diagnosis. The family starred as a trio on the show until 2018, when George left, with his mum and dad continuing to appear in it until leaving the show for good in 2020.
Posting on social media, the official Gogglebox account wrote: "George was part of the Gogglebox family for eight series alongside his mum Linda and step-dad Pete. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Linda, and George’s family and friends at this very sad time.”
There was a huge outpouring of love on social media, one another person posting: "Rest in peace buddy, you will be profoundly missed. @georgegilbey had the ability to transform simple moments into unforgettable ones with his brilliant sense of humour. Everyone who knew George has a funny story to tell. Sending much love to the family,” while another person added: “I’ve just heard the news about @georgegilbey so shocked. He was so lovely.
“Met a few times at various events we both supported and became friends. So sorry to hear this, my deepest condolences to his family. Taken tragically too soon. RIP George. You were a wonderful man.”
