GOGGLEBOX has faced its fair share of controversy since its 2013 launch with bullying claims to Twitter outbursts from the cast.
Some of its sofa stars decided to walk away from fame, and the Channel 4 show, while others vanished after being savagely axed.
Paige Deville
Paige announced she quit the series this week because of ‘zero aftercare support’ in a scathing statement on Twitter.
She was lined up to return to the latest series alongside her mum Sally.
However, in a brief Twitter statement, Paige took a swipe at the Channel 4 show and said she’d no longer be a part of it.
She wrote: “I have made the decision to walk away from Gogglebox. It’s been an experience but one I cannot continue with due to long hours of filming, restrictiveness, control of our actions and opinions & zero aftercare support but hey who cares about ex cast, (they’re) NTA winners.”
The series won best factual entertainment show at the National Television Awards earlier this month, with the Malone Family, and brother/sister duo Pete and Sophie Sandiford among those representing the show.
She further revealed the reasons behind her exit, explaining that she had fallen out with mum Sally.
Speaking to BirminghamLive, she said: “There have been problems within the family and my mum was given an ultimatum. The decision means I have nothing to do with her now. I think the decision is irreversible.
“It is very sad but that’s life unfortunately.
“My mum said she would no longer be filming Gogglebox. The show offered me an opportunity to work with another family member but I didn’t want to work with anyone else. My mum and myself had started the journey together and I wasn’t going to film with anyone else.”
Paige said the gruelling filming schedule wasn’t worth the money alongside running her own recruitment business.
She said they were paid £100 per filming session which would begin at 3.30pm and finish at 12.30am.
“At one point my mum had her arm around me for four hours and they didn’t want her to move her arm. It isn’t as glamorous as you might think. It is very hard work,” she said.
“I bought a car and Gogglebox contacted me to say I need to make it clear the purchase wasn’t endorsed by them,” she added.
“Your life is controlled somewhat by them.”
A Gogglebox spokesperson said: “The welfare of contributors – past and present – is of paramount importance and robust protocols are in place to support contributors before, during and after taking part in the series.”
Chris Ashby-Steed
Chris had been a firm fixture on Gogglebox since series one, despite splitting up with his on-screen partner Stephen Webb.
But Brighton-based hairdresser revealed in 2018 his time on the hit Channel 4 show was over.
The fun-loving regular was dropped and replaced by his former boyfriend’s mother, Pat.
Chris fell out with ex-lover Stephen who appeared with him on the sofa at Chris’s home in Hove, West Sussex.
This week, he sensationally claimed he was ‘bullied off the show’ in a rant via his new husband Tony.
Tony, who has been married to Chris since 2017, lashed out on his partner’s behalf following the sudden exit of Gogglebox’s Paige Deville.
Taking to Twitter, Tony accused production staff of standing by and letting Chris’ co-star Stephen Webb ‘bully’ him off the show.
Tony, who married Chris a year before he left Gogglebox, also claimed that show bosses did not reach out to his husband after it emerged he was left ‘feeling suicidal following his departure’.
Tony said: “Our hearts go out to you @Paige_deville. The studio stood by and watched Stephen bully my husband Chris off the show and did nothing to stop him. They helped him get his mum on the show behind Chris’s back without even telling him….
“@Paige_deville, they don’t seem to give a damn about the people below the superficial, it’s all about ratings and awards, not people.
“Even when it came out that being forced off the show made Chris suicidal, they didn’t contact him once!”
Tony went on to claim both he and Chris are ‘haunted’ by their experience, but insisted to worried fans that is husband is “better now”.
“He’s a lot better now thanks, but he’s not fragile,” Tony told a concerned follower.
“He has a tough constitution – years of bullying as a kid made him toughen up. But everyone has their limits. He was robbed of so much by Stephen and treated so badly by the studio that it tipped him over, sadly :-(.”
George Gilbey
George was known on Gogglebox for his cheeky wit and high voice and was so popular he ended up up on Celebrity Big Brother in 2014.
His parents – Linda and Peter – were temporarily axed from the show when George took part in CBB, but they later returned in 2016 without him.
George was a fan favourite in the CBB house and reached the final.
He kissed fellow housemate and The Hills star Stephanie Pratt – but when she was evicted he got close to B*Witched singer Edele Lynch.
George claimed to be in love with Stephanie but was seen cosying up in bed with B*Witched singer Edele Lynch.
Stephanie later claimed she was angered by his betrayal.
“I’m obviously a very bad judge of character. Edele’s my best friend and so is George,” said Stephanie on Bit On The Side.
“You [Edele] and George were my best friends in the house, that was the worst betrayal.”
Outside of the CBB house George and Edele tried to make it work and went on holiday to a caravan park.
But their romance fizzled out.
The Michaels
Tragic Andrew Michael, whose death at the age of 61 was announced last month, had ambitions to be a politician for Ukip.
The Michaels had been with Gogglebox since the start – but vanished from screens in 2015 when he ran for office.
Andrew, wife Carolyne and their children were axed from the hit after he ran to be an MP for Ukip in Hastings and Rye.
The move, which reportedly left the family in tears, was so painful they weren’t able to watch the show after being forced off air.
Carolyne also claimed the family were given just five days to choose between the show and her husband’s political aspirations.
Carolyne told fans: “It’s with great sadness that we must say goodbye to the wonderful Gogglebox family. Andy entering politics so can no longer stay with it.”
Andrew later sacrificed his political career so that his family could return to Gogglebox.
“I have a responsibility to keep my family happy after they supported me last autumn. That was a big deal for us. They supported me then, so it’s my time to support them now,” he told The Celeb Report.
“Now I have stepped down from my official position as prospective parliamentary candidate,” said Andrew, “I was happy to step down in order to pick up Gogglebox.”
Jay Makin
Gogglebox legend Silent Jay appeared on the popular Channel 4 show with the Woerdenweber family from 2013 to 2014.
But after the quiet character broke up with Liverpool-based Eve in March, 2015, he disappeared from our telly screens.
Viewers dubbed the Gogglebox star Silent Jay because he rarely piped up during the show.
Even though Jay Makin was notoriously not very talkative on Gogglebox, he opened up to The Celeb Report following the tough split.
The Birkenhead-based TV star said: “I’m gutted that Eve broke up with me. It came completely out of the blue.
“We had a few problems and started drifting apart but I thought it was down to the pressure of the show and her business. We argued too much and she said couldn’t cope with it.
He added: “She called after a big argument and said she didn’t want to go out with me any more.
“Eve said she still wants to be friends but hasn’t spoken to me and has deleted me on Facebook. It really hurts, we were so close.”
After finishing filming for the series, Jay quit the Gogglebox cast.
