A man has been arrested after Gogglebox star George Gilbey fell to his death while working at a warehouse.
Father-of-one Mr Gilbey, 40, who was once a regular on the Channel 4 show, plunged 35ft from the Essex building on Wednesday morning.
Making history: The Queen at Worcester Cathedral yesterday Last night, officers said a man in his forties had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after the incident in Shoeburyness.
Essex Police said they were conducting a joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive.
Mr Gilbey and his family, from nearby Clacton-on-Sea, were part of the Gogglebox cast that won a Bafta in 2014.
Known to his friends as Squeaky George because of his high-pitched voice, he charmed viewers with his jocular attitude and his loving relationship with his mother and stepfather, Linda and Pete McGarry.
He also appeared in the 14th series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, reaching the final. Away from the TV, Mr Gilbey was an electrician with more than ten years’ experience, according to his LinkedIn page.
The tragedy comes less than three years after his stepfather died from bowel cancer aged 71.
The family left Gogglebox in 2014 when Mr Gilbey entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on rival Channel 5, but delighted viewers when they returned to the sofa two years later.
Last night, his younger sister Sabrina Browning wrote online: “My heart is in absolute pieces. You will be missed so much, no words can explain the kind and gentle heart you showed to all you loved and cared for, thank you for everything, rest in eternal paradise brother.”
A Gogglebox spokesman said: “George was part of the Gogglebox family for eight series alongside his mum Linda and stepdad Pete.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Linda and George’s family and friends at this very sad time. The family have asked for privacy.”
Fellow TV personality Ricci Guarnaccio, who was in the same series of Celebrity Big Brother as Mr Gilbey, wrote on X: “Breaks my heart but George Gilbey you are well and truly going to be missed my friend. Always lit up the room, cared for others and the memories we made I’ll cherish for ever brother.”
Devastated friends have claimed that after a troubled few years, Mr Gilbey had been working hard to get his life back on track for the sake of his daughter.
Behind the jokes and banter, Gilbey appeared to have trouble adjusting to the fame he found with Gogglebox, ending up in court for his off-screen behaviour.
He was convicted of trying to strangle the mother of his child, while a prison sentence for drink driving in 2019 appeared to seal the end of his Gogglebox career.