The new series will begin on Channel 4 tomorrow.
Channel 4 has confirmed that five Gogglebox cast members have left the show ahead of the start of tomorrow’s new series.
Following the sad deaths of Pete McGarry, Mary Cook and Andy Michael, their respective friends and family members will not be taking part in the hit show for the time being.
As reported by the Daily Star, Executive Producer Victoria Ray said, “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.”
Ray went on to say the door would remain open for the affected cast members to return further down the line, but there is no word yet on when that might be.
Pete McGarry – who regularly appeared alongside his wife Linda – passed away aged 71 in June after a short illness.
Pete and Linda had first joined the show at the start of the second series in 2013, originally appearing alongside their son George and then on their own in later series.
Mary Cook died in hospital in August, at the age of 92. She had been a huge favourite among fans after joining the show in 2016, appearing alongside her friend Marina Wingrove.
Meanwhile, that same month, Gogglebox also announced that Andy Michael had died aged 61 following a short illness.
Andy, his wife Carolyne and their children Louis, Alex, Katie and Pascal joined the Gogglebox cast in series one and appeared in 16 series of the Channel 4 show since it first aired in 2013.
After the series won an NTA Award at last week’s ceremony, cast member Julie Malone paid tribute to Gogglebox’s late cast members – also including June Bernicoff who died in 2020 – calling them “irreplaceable”.
“It was emotional,” she said. “It’s a family, the show. It feels like such a loss to us. They’re irreplaceable.”
“They were all such amazing people, such selfless people. They worked through lockdown, the same as we did,” she added. “We can’t imagine what the show’s going to be like without them.”