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Leon And June Bernicoff From 'Gogglebox' Had A Romance To Remember

Leon And June Bernicoff From 'Gogglebox' Had A Romance To Remember

We look at the pair's romance after Gogglebox star Leon died earlier today aged 83 after a short illness.

Chris Ogden

Chris Ogden

Whenever we were watching Gogglebox, Leon and June Bernicoff always seemed to be the best people around which to base our #relationshipgoals.

The elderly couple won the hearts of Britain on the show with their tender looks, harmless spats and the odd inappropriate comment from cheeky old Leon.

Retired teacher Leon sadly died in hospital today aged 83 after a short illness, leaving behind June whom he was married to for six decades. Together, the pair produced two daughters and three grandchildren.

In 2016, the pair sat down with the Sunday People and discussed how their amazing relationship started - and it wasn't without incident.

June met Leon aged 18 when the pair were at a teacher-training college dance in 1955, and by all accounts it was love at first sight.

"I thought she was gorgeous. And I still do," smiled Leon. "But she's a bugger now, always nagging me! You should have seen her at 18. Wow. The prom queen."

"Oh, behave yourself," June replied. But he took me for a waltz and refreshments which was very posh.

"He walked me home and kissed me, and that was that. We were inseparable."

Although the pair got on famously, Leon's Jewish family disliked June's Catholic upbringing, leading them to keep their relationship secret for four years. Yikes.

When they eventually got engaged (June asked), the proposal was unromantic, with Leon's parents in particular resenting it.

"I knew our parents would accept us more if we were serious, and I wanted to make us official. So that was that," June said.

"We had a small wedding that wasn't fancy, it didn't need to be. It was just about us. Even my dress was very ordinary."

Leon disagreed, saying on the wedding day he 'just felt relief because finally I could look after her'. It's almost enough to make you tear up.

Although their married life was 'stormy at times', the couple were inseparable throughout their marriage.

While they were together they never spent more than four days apart - and even that was only while June helped their daughter with her first child.

"Even if she pops to the shops I'm talking to the sofa," Leon told the Sunday People.

Although they had their spats, the pair were simple when it came to explaining how to have such a happy marriage.

"I just love her," Leon said, adding. "I don't know, that's all I can say. When I come home and she smiles at me at the front door, well, it melts me.

"It's lovely. I don't want anybody else, only June," he added.

"I think for us the secret is we need each other, but we still have our own lives," June added.

If we all end up in as a good match-up as Leon and June, we will be very lucky indeed. Telly won't be the same without them.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Death, Entertainment, TV and Film, gogglebox