Gogglebox's George Gilbey's mum rushed to hospital over his tragic death after suffering 'unimaginable stress'
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.”
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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.”
Thankfully, Linda, who also suffers with Parkinson’s disease, is OK 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 explains. “It’s very good for Parkinson’s and keeps your mind active and is very good for the vocal cords.” We’re glad to hear she has a huge network of friends and family watching out for her. The former pub landlady has fostered more than 140 children in her life together with late husband Pete McGarry.
“Twelve of them regard me as their mum and phone me every day,” she explains. “For three years I had six little boys, we took them all abroad and it was the best time of our lives. They’re all doing well, but are devastated about George. George classed them all as his brothers.” One of Linda’s foster children still lives with her, and as well as her huge network of friends, she has a very close relationship with George’s ex-girlfriend, Gemma Conway, and their daughter Amelie, eight.
“George still loved Gemma until the day he died,” Linda says. “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 continues, “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.” Linda shows us George’s room, still full of his things, which has now been transformed into a “fairy room” for when Amelie comes to stay. It’s clear how much Linda loves her granddaughter – and how much Amelie’s inherited her father’s caring nature.
“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.’ She’s done her Christmas list and it will break your heart. It says, ‘You can forget all of that if you bring my daddy back.’"
The day we interview Linda is the day after Liam Payne’s funeral. One Direction singer Liam also died by falling and left a young child behind, so the heartbreaking story resonated with Linda and the family. “Liam still loved Cheryl [Tweedy] like George loved Gemma – and the fact that he fell, too. It brought it all back – we all had a cry. Gemma knows that Cheryl had to tell her little boy and it’s a terrible thing to tell them.”
And when it comes to remembering her lovely son, Linda’s got so many memories. “The Saturday night before it happened, he was dancing with all the old girls down the club,” she says. “He used to dance with everybody.” “I can actually watch Gogglebox and see him – it makes me laugh – when I’m in a good place. I don’t like people talking about him when I’m at a party – I do all my crying on my own.”
This Christmas will be hard, but Linda is surrounding herself with friends and has even booked a cruise. Looking ahead to 2025, she is heading back to Lanzarote with Amelie and also has something planned for George. “We’re going to put his ashes on the beach, with my Pete [who died in 2021 and was George’s stepfather] and with his dad.”
Linda has found a new philosophy for life after losing her husband and son within three years – and that’s to keep karaoke-ing. “I’ve got to try and be as happy as I can be, because George wouldn’t want me to be miserable,” she says. “When I lost Pete, I said, ‘I’ll never sing again.’ And George made a joke, saying, ‘Pete will be happy about that!’ But then said, ‘No, carry on, you love it.’”
And that’s exactly what she’ll be doing.
