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Gogglebox legend George Gilbey left behind a loving family when he passed away in March this year after falling through a skylight at work – including his eight year old daughter
Gogglebox star George Gilbey’s mum hospitalised due to ‘unimaginable stress’ after his tragic death.
Gogglebox fans were shocked earlier this year when one of the show’s stars, George Gilbey, died while working on a warehouse in Shoeburyness, Essex. Despite an air ambulance being called, he died at the scene.
Six months after George died, his mum, who is 74, had a stroke, which she fears was triggered by the stress of losing her son. Recalling the frightening moment she became ill, Linda McGarry tells our sister title OK! Magazine she was rushed to A&E by ambulance when her friend called her and Linda found she was unable to speak. She says: “I’m so lucky that my friends were here and they got me to the hospital. On the tests, they couldn’t find where it had come from, but I think it’s the shock of George. There’s no bigger stress than what I went through.”
At the opening of an inquest into his death in April, Essex coroner’s court heard George had fallen through a plastic skylight and that his injuries were “consistent with a fall from height”. Police and the Health and Safety Executive launched a joint investigation. Two men were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. One was released under investigation and the other released on bail.
The whole family is grieving George’s sad passing – not least his eight year old daughter, Amelie. The little girl, whose mum is George’s ex Gemma Conway, remembers her dad. “They had a ‘daddy’s day’ [at school] and a girl was crying because her parents had broken up and Amelie said, ‘My daddy’s always with me everywhere I go. He’s in my heart,'” Linda said.
Amelie has even made a heartbreaking plea to Father Christmas. “She’s done her Christmas list and it will break your heart,” Linda told us. “It says, ‘You can forget all of that if you bring my daddy back.’”
Linda also explained how George felt about his ex, Gemma. “George still loved Gemma until the day he died,” she said. “I don’t think George could have met anybody else, because he always talked about Gemma being so lovely. If Amelie ever played her mum up, he’d say to her, ‘You’ve got the best mum in the world, so you do as you’re told.’ She comes now at least once a month for the weekend.”
She continued: “I took them on a week’s holiday in Lanzarote this summer and it was perfect for Amelie. We went a whole week without crying in front of her. I promised her that it’s going to be our special place. It was absolutely wonderful.” Coping with the grief after George’s death has been tough and Linda has endured some health issues, including a “full-blown stroke” three months ago, which she thinks is linked to her son’s passing.
“I’m so lucky that my friends were here and they got me to the hospital. I’d just had a shower and was sitting on the settee with my phone next to me and my friend rang me and I couldn’t talk.” Linda was rushed to A&E after her friend called an ambulance. “I had tubes down my throat – it was horrible,” she recalled. “On the tests, they couldn’t find where it had come from, but I think it’s the shock of George. There’s no bigger stress than what I went through.”
Thankfully, Linda, who also suffers with Parkinson’s disease, is okay now and managing her health with tablets. “I can’t change beds or do gardening – I have to do a little job and then sit down – but I’m mad on karaoke!” she explained. “It’s very good for Parkinson’s and keeps your mind active and is very good for the vocal cords.”