Gogglebox has welcomed best friends Jude and Sherry to its newest cast line-up, bringing more than five decades of friendship to the Channel 4 sofa.
Jude, 76, and Sherry, 77, have shared a remarkable friendship shaped by family, bereavement and a love of travelling the world.
The pair first met after their sons were born at the same maternity hospital. Their friendship became even closer after they were both widowed, just one year apart, in 2009 and 2010.
Now, after years of life-changing experiences and adventures together, the friends are ready to share their thoughts on the latest television with Gogglebox viewers.
How Gogglebox stars Jude and Sherry became friends
The friendship between Jude and Sherry began at Queen Charlotte’s Maternity Hospital, where both women had just given birth to their sons.
Jude remembered first meeting Sherry as they pushed their newborn boys along a hospital corridor.
Sherry explained just how long their friendship has lasted: “We have been close friends since we met at Queen Charlotte’s Maternity Hospital on the day our sons were born.”
Although life sometimes meant the pair saw less of each other, their connection remained strong over the years.
Following the deaths of their partners, Jude and Sherry began spending much more time together. Then, in 2017, their friendship took them further afield as they began a run of international trips.
Jude said: “As Sherry said, we met 51 years ago, on the day after our sons were born, pushing them along the hospital corridor. Through the childhood years as we both went on to have 2 daughters and then a year apart in 2009 and 2010 we were both widowed, which is when we became even closer and our travels began.”
The pair have travelled to Sri Lanka, Mexico, Bangkok, Singapore, Penang, Malacca and Goa. Chile is next on their travel wish list.
With that many adventures behind them, they should have no shortage of stories and opinions to share while sitting down for Gogglebox.
What Jude and Sherry said about joining Gogglebox
Sherry is keen to see how filming works and find out which new programmes they will be watching. She also made it clear that the pair intend to bring plenty of positivity to their Gogglebox debut.
She said: “We are both very positive people and it is great to be doing something completely new together.”
For Jude, appearing on the show at this stage of her life is another new experience, as well as a challenge.
Their regular travel plans are now taking a temporary back seat as the friends settle in for evenings watching and reacting to television. And their sofa set-up could involve chilled chocolate and wine alongside the opinions Gogglebox viewers have come to expect.
For Jude and Sherry, the appeal is another chance to experience something unfamiliar together. Their friendship has already carried them through family milestones, bereavement and journeys around the globe.
Now Gogglebox gives them a very different kind of adventure, with new programmes, strong reactions and plenty of time together on the sofa.
When do Jude and Sherry join Gogglebox?
Jude and Sherry will make their first Gogglebox appearance on Friday October 2 at 9pm.
The episode will air on Channel 4, introducing the longtime friends to viewers as they settle into their shared sofa.
Their decades-long friendship is bound to be part of the conversation as they get used to the show’s familiar format.
Read more: Gogglebox star Amy Tapper reveals incredible amount of weight she’s lost in transformation video
Gogglebox airs Friday October 2 from 9pm on Channel 4.
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