The police investigation into Gogglebox star George Gilbey’s death has been closed.
The TV personality’s death was announced in March 2024 following an accident at work. While working on a roof at in Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea, he fell through a skylight.
He was 40 years old when he died.
George Gilbey’s criminal investigation is still ongoing
An inquest hearing revealed the cause of his death was traumatic head and torso injuries that were “consistent with a fall from a height”.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. However, charges against both of them have been dropped, and the investigation has since been closed.
Essex Police informed the BBC that they have been released without charge. They will face no further action.
That said, the criminal investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is still ongoing.
“The thoughts of everyone at Essex Police remain with George’s family and friends,” HSE inspector Natalie Prince shared in a statement.
She continued: “We have been a part of this inquiry from the outset and we will continue to thoroughly investigate George’s tragic death as the lead agency. This will aim to establish if there have been any breaches of health and safety law.
“We are in regular contact with George’s family and our thoughts remain with them at this time.”
Gogglebox star George Gilbey dead at 40
At the time, the official Gogglebox social media account shared the heartbreaking news with fans.
“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,” they said.
“The family have asked for privacy.”
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Gogglebox star Linda McGarry pays tribute to late George Gilbey
A week after his tragic death, Linda McGarry, George’s mother, broke her silence.
“I’m devastated – he was like my best friend. 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,” she told the Maldon & Burnham Standard.
She then continued, saying: “He was crazy, but after coming out of showbiz, he couldn’t get his life back together. He just couldn’t get over the death of Pete.
“He came to celebrity over night but didn’t really want to be – he was just normal. But it allowed him to do charity work – anytime anyone contacted him about charity work, he prioritised it,” she then added.
She then praised him for being “such a good dad” to daughter Amelie. She also thanked people for sending their condolences and support.
Celebrity Big Brother co-star shares message from Linda
Prior to Linda breaking her silence, George’s Celebrity Big Brother co-star, Ricci Guarnaccio, shared a message from her.
Speaking to The Mirror, he said: “I’ve just got off the phone to Lin[da] and we had a laugh and a cry and went through every emotion. She wants to send a thank you to everyone who has sent their condolences and shared their happy memories of George.
“It’s tough for her. To lose Pete [Linda’s husband and George’s stepdad] then her 40-year-old son… a rollercoaster of emotions. But she wants George to be remembered in a nice way. He was found in a pub and shot to fame in Gogglebox – he was one of the OGs,” he then added.
Read more: Gogglebox deaths – paying tribute to the cast and crew we’ve loved and lost
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