George Gilbey's mother has revealed the final words that he'd said to her before his tragic death.
The Gogglebox fan-favourite was often joined on the show throughout his eight season stint by his mother, Linda McGarry, and step-dad, Pete McGarry.
The father-of-one, 40, died from sustained injuries after falling through plastic skylight, as Coroner’s officer Deborah Frost cited a 'traumatic injury to head and torso consistent with fall from height'.
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Linda, from Essex, spoke for the first time since her son's passing, and said it was an 'honour' to have him as her son, adding that the two 'had a blast for 40 years'.
She revealed to The Sun that he always fussed over her as she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, but also that he himself was struggling with his own problems, including financially.
Gilbey was staying with a relative the night prior to his death, but called her on the morning of the tragic incident.
She said: “He phoned me at 9.30 on the morning and said he was working, and asked me for his ‘breakfast money’.
“I put £30 in his account so he could get food, and he seemed fine.
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“He had a drink the night before, and liked a bottle of white wine or two, but was happy that he was working. He ended the phone call by saying, ‘I love you’ like he usually did.
"I treasure those words,” she concluded.
Gilbey was on a carer's allowance of £190 per month following his mother's diagnosis with Parkinson's, but Linda revealed that he was working this particular job to save money and move closer to his daughter Amelie, who lives with her mother in South West London.
At the time of his death, Gilbey was fixing a roof at a warehouse in Shoebury, Essex, before he plummeted to his death on March 27.
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An inquest around the events were opened then suspended, as a man in his forties was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, but was released under investigation.
Gilbey's mother revealed what it was like on the day of his death, saying: “When I got that call, it was horrendous.
“It did not feel real and we raced to the site, thinking that he was still alive. They stopped us going in and sent us to a hospital.
“The police met us at Southend Hospital, and told us he hadn’t made it. I kept thinking it was not real, and still feel like it is not,” she said.
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She also thinks that the main cause of his death was the lack of safety netting below.
“He was up there fixing the roof. Apparently he stepped on a weak bit of roof and there was no netting. I don’t think it was safe." Linda said.
“I think it was instant, and hope it was so he didn’t suffer.”
Gilbey may be best known for his time on Gogglebox, but he also reached the Celebrity Big Brother final in 2014.
Topics: Gogglebox, Celebrity News, TV, UK News
Joshua Nair