Mathew Horne has set the record straight about his rumoured feud with longtime friend and Gavin and Stacey co-star James Corden.
It's hard to imagine a world where Gavalar and Smithster aren't joint at the hip, but if you were to believe the whispers, the pair were supposedly at each other's throats.
After the comedian, 46, moved his life to Los Angeles, the rumour mill began swirling and reports began to claim that Horne wasn't happy with him.
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But fans didn't have any other knowledge of the alleged fall out except from the showbiz gossip that was circulating, and eventually, the speculation sort of died down.
However, focus fell back on the alleged feud in 2019 after Corden appeared on Piers Morgan's Life Stories.
The host told the BAFTA winner that Horne had been asked to be a part of the show, but that he had declined the offer.
"I didn't know that, but I can understand," a visibly shocked Corden said, before saying that he and his co-star 'talk occasionally'.
Horne later claimed that this spat was somewhat manufactured and resulted in the rumours about their friendship 'snowballing' once again.
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He told The Times: "I didn’t go on that show because I was filming out of London, and they could only film my interview on one day, and I couldn’t do it.
"The other reason is that I dislike Piers Morgan and everything he stands for."
So when the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special was confirmed earlier this year, fans weren't sure what the dynamic between the duo looks like these days.
Now, Horne has shared the truth behind what really went down between him and Corden - even though he's 'sick of talking about' it.
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The Nottinghamshire-born actor, 46, told The Times: "This notion of us falling out in 2009 - it wasn’t true, but I couldn’t really do anything about it.
"Because James then went off to the States, that was the narrative and however much I said that we didn’t fall out, no amount of protesting would have convinced people that it didn’t happen."
Reflecting on his and Corden's rise to fame more than a decade ago, Horne said: "It was a hectic time, and I really don’t want any more hecticness and chaos in my life.
"I just want to be grateful and enjoy the things that I’m so fortunate to have. Which is a really interesting, fun career and a beautiful family.
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"Honestly, I’m sick of talking about 15 years of this, it sapped my energy at the time and it’s not important," Horne said.
He went on to praise his pal for achieving global success, while defending him from critics.
"The root of all of the flak that he takes - and it’s beyond flak - is jealousy," Horne said.
"He is a phenomenally gifted actor and writer, and a brilliant working-class success story. So yeah, I am protective of him.
"But I think I’ve been silenced in discussing him because of this narrative that’s been imposed."
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After wrapping filming for the final ever Gavin and Stacey episode, which will air on BBC One on 25 December at 9.00pm, it seems Horne and Corden are better than ever.
The Bad Education actor and father-of-one revealed they are hoping to work on another project together in the future.
"We’re talking about a play, but we don’t know which one," he added.
Long live Gavalar and Smithster!
Topics: James Corden, Gavin And Stacey, Celebrity, UK News
Olivia Burke