George wouldn't want me to be miserable'

Gogglebox's Linda McGarry tells us what motivates her to live the best life she can since the death of her son George Gilbey

- GEMMA MCCARTNEY

This will undeniably be the toughest Christmas for Gogglebox star Linda McGarry. It's been nearly nine months since her beloved son George Gilbey tragically passed away in a horrific fall while at work, and for Linda, this time of year will never be the same again.

“He used to phone me 12 times a day – he was a real mummy’s boy,” she tells us tearfully. “He was so kind.”

The 74-year-old has invited us to her seaside home in Essex to talk to us about her son and the past 12 months. As we sit on the sofa opposite Linda, we spot a “George corner” behind her which includes the ashes of the Celebrity Big Brother and Gogglebox star in an urn. It’s clear as she speaks about him through glazed eyes, he was the light of her life.

“I make sure I put my make-up on and get out every day – because George would want me to do that,” she says defiantly. “There’s nothing I can do to bring him back, I’ve just got to have the best life I can.”

George died aged just 40 on 27 March 2024 after falling 80ft through a skylight while working in Shoeburyness, Essex. It was an awful shock for Linda, who finds it difficult to recall that day in any detail – but describes it as “horrendous”. And the months since then haven’t been much better.

“Three months ago, I had a full-blown stroke,” she tells us. “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 recalls. “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.”