Gogglebox star George Gilbey’s death aged just 40 came as a huge shock to fans of the star. The TV personality, who also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, had been working on a roof when he fell 80ft through a skylight - and a coroner and now confirmed the cause of death at an inquest.
The hearing, which took place in Chelmsford, Essex on Monday, confirmed that George sustained traumatic injuries to his head and torso after the fall, with Coroner’s officer Deborah Frost confirming that he had been “working on a roof when he fell through a plastic skylight, landing on the ground below” when the accident occurred.
She added that the cause of death was “traumatic injury to head and torso consistent with fall from height”. The inquest was then suspended pending the outcome of a criminal investigation, in which a man was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. It will be reviewed in four months.
At the time, a spokesperson for the Essex Police said: “As part of our ongoing investigation into the death of a man in Campfield Road, Shoebury on Wednesday 27 March, we have arrested a man in their 40s from the Witham area on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. This is a joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive and our inquiries are ongoing.”
A friend of George’s spoke to The Sun about the terrible accident, saying: “George had not been in a good way and maybe should not have been working at all. He was up on the roof and the others were shouting at him to get down and to be careful.”
He continued: "He was shouting back that he was all right, even though he was not very steady on his feet. Then, he apparently came through a skylight so fell from the outside of the roof about 80ft on to concrete inside.” He added that George “didn’t stand a chance”.
George appeared on the hit show Gogglebox alongside his mother, Linda, and stepfather, Pete. Pete passed away aged 71 in 2021.
Speaking about the loss of her son. Linda told the Thurrock Gazette: "I'm devastated… He had the best heart in the world. He was generous, funny and kind, with bundles of charm and buckets of personality. He did more in his 40 years than people do in 90 – he's even had dinner with the Prince of Dubai.
“He came to celebrity overnight but didn't want to be – he was just normal. But it allowed him to do charity work – any time anyone contacted him about charity work, he prioritised it.”
Posting on social media at the time, the official Gogglebox account wrote: "George was part of the Gogglebox family for eight series alongside his mum Linda and step-dad Pete. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Linda, and George’s family and friends at this very sad time.”
George is survived by his seven-year-old daughter, Amelie, who he shares with his former partner, Gemma Conway.