Gogglebox producers have confirmed that five of the show’s most-loved stars have left the popular Channel 4 series.
Their departure comes after three of the show’s stars died in recent months.
In June, Pete McGarry, who appeared on the show with his wife Linda, died at the age of 71.
Then last month, Mary Cook, who appeared alongside her best friend Marina, passed away at the age of 91.
Shortly after the news of Mary’s death was confirmed, it was announced that Andy Michael had also died following a short illness at the age of 61.
Andy had appeared on the show since the very first series, alongside his wife Carolyne and their children Alex and Louis, with their two other children Katy and Pascal also making occasional appearances over the years.
It’s now been confirmed that Carolyne, Alex, Louis, Marina and Linda have all decided not to return to Gogglebox.
Executive producer Victoria Ray told The Sun: “We have had people from the show pass away recently.
“We lost Mary and Andy, and a little while ago we lost Pete. Their loved ones won’t be taking part in the show for the moment. Understandably, they want their privacy.”
She added to Daily Star that all five of the stars have the option to return to Gogglebox in the future if they would like to.
Last week, Gogglebox triumphed at the National Television Awards in the Factual category, the fifth time the show has won the award.
Collecting the award on behalf of the hit show were the Malone and Sandiford families, who have been presenting their commentary on Gogglebox for the past seven and four years, respectively.
During the Malones’ acceptance speech, mum Julie took a moment to pay her respects to members of the Gogglebox family who had recently died.
“On a sad note, I’d like to [dedicate] this award to all the people we’ve lost in the past 18 months,” she said.
The new series of Gogglebox kicks off on Channel 4 at 9pm on Friday 17 September.
Their departure comes after three of the show’s stars died in recent months.
In June, Pete McGarry, who appeared on the show with his wife Linda, died at the age of 71.
Then last month, Mary Cook, who appeared alongside her best friend Marina, passed away at the age of 91.
Shortly after the news of Mary’s death was confirmed, it was announced that Andy Michael had also died following a short illness at the age of 61.
Andy had appeared on the show since the very first series, alongside his wife Carolyne and their children Alex and Louis, with their two other children Katy and Pascal also making occasional appearances over the years.
It’s now been confirmed that Carolyne, Alex, Louis, Marina and Linda have all decided not to return to Gogglebox.
Executive producer Victoria Ray told The Sun: “We have had people from the show pass away recently.
“We lost Mary and Andy, and a little while ago we lost Pete. Their loved ones won’t be taking part in the show for the moment. Understandably, they want their privacy.”
She added to Daily Star that all five of the stars have the option to return to Gogglebox in the future if they would like to.
Last week, Gogglebox triumphed at the National Television Awards in the Factual category, the fifth time the show has won the award.
Collecting the award on behalf of the hit show were the Malone and Sandiford families, who have been presenting their commentary on Gogglebox for the past seven and four years, respectively.
During the Malones’ acceptance speech, mum Julie took a moment to pay her respects to members of the Gogglebox family who had recently died.
“On a sad note, I’d like to [dedicate] this award to all the people we’ve lost in the past 18 months,” she said.
The new series of Gogglebox kicks off on Channel 4 at 9pm on Friday 17 September.
