Daily Star’s Inside Hot TV newsletter sees Ed Gleave send you telly’s hot takes straight to your inbox every Sunday
Plenty of Gogglebox viewers were stunned to find the Malone family were a member light as son Tom, usually a regular on the sofa and our screens, was absent.
Fans turned on in their droves as the show returned for another series, but despite the majority of our favourite members returning to the programme, Tom Malone Jr announced one day previously that he had quit the show.
Mr Malone Jr is not the first to eventually part ways with the show, though even with a revolving door of cast members the programme has won multiple awards since its inception in 2013, already boasting 17 series.
Here are eight cast members who opted to call time on their stint on the sofa.
Tom Malone Jr
Tom took to social media to reveal to his fans: "So after six years it's finally time to put down the remote and say goodbye to Gogglebox.
"I've loved every minute and I'm eternally grateful to Channel 4 and Studio Lambert for allowing me to be a part of the show. But new opportunities are knocking on the door and it's time to explore them.
"I look forward to enjoying the show as a viewer and not having to worry about having said something stupid!"
The Michael family
-
Gogglebox fans in hysterics as they notice Ellie and Izzi's odd food habit
The Michael family were forced to briefly leave the show after dad Andrew stood for UKIP in the general election, but returned after he was unsuccessful.
A Gogglebox spokesperson addressed their departure at the time, stating: "It's with great regret that the Michaels are no longer in the show.
"Sadly any Gogglebox cast member who becomes a candidate for a political party will have to step down from their involvement in Gogglebox . They have been excellent contributors to and we are very grateful for all they have given to the show."
The Michaels can still be seen on the show now after they returned the following year.
Chris Butland-Steed
The former on-screen partner of Stephen Webb, who remains on the show, Butland-Steed opted to leave the show in 2016.
Chris decided to wave goodbye to the show after getting caught in a row with his best friend.
He said: "I'd like to announce I've decided to leave Gogglebox and am looking forward to the exciting adventures that lay ahead! Huge thanks to @C4Gogglebox @Channel4 for the amazing experiences I’ve had & wish cast & crew well. Massive thanks to the fans for their support! #watchthisspace."
Following his exit in 2019, Chris spoke to the Mirror about his departure, claiming that Stephen ended their production deal with Channel 4 without talking to him about it first.
He said: "After he sent that email I didn’t speak to him for a little while because I was hurt by it.
"Then the studio called and said they would like to offer us the position back on Gogglebox.
"I spoke to Stephen and his attitude was 'I’m not sure I can put up with you every other week filming'. Which was a bit of a blow.
""I turned around to him and said, ‘I get the impression that I think a lot more of you than you do of me’. His reply was, 'Yeah, you’re probably right.'"
Chris then claimed that the show's producers claimed the popular pair could appear with new partners on alternate weeks, with Stephen bringing in his mum, before eventually Daniel.
However, Chris claims he was told that the partner he chose "wasn't going to work", and he decided it was time to say goodbye.
George Gilbey
Essex-lad George Gilbey starred on Celebrity Big Brother before never returning to Gogglebox.
His family were dropped from the show after George went on CBB in 2014, writing: "It is true that we won't be on the next series of Gogglebox. We had a lovely time filming with them and wish the cast and crew lots of luck."
Gogglebox producer Chantal Boyle said they couldn't be in the fourth series as it "wouldn't work" once George had been on the famous Channel 5 show.
Boyle said that Gilbeys were told in advance they would forfeit their place, but they couldn't resist the financial offer from CBB.
She said: "It’s all about money. They are pretty cash-strapped and so you can see why they would accept the offer to go on Big Brother.
"But we can’t have them in the new series of Gogglebox."
He has had a troublesome few years away from our screens, George was recently slapped with a community service after attacking his ex-girlfriend in 2018.
He was also behind bars for three months after drink driving charges.
Scarlett Moffatt
Arguably the show's biggest success story, Scarlett has won I'm A Celebrity and secured regular slots on TV shows as a presenter since departing Gogglebox.
She has also appeared on Saturday Night Takeaway alongside her childhood heroes Ant and Dec.
Sandi and Sandra
One half of the popular double act, Sandra discussed her exit from the show on This Morning, when she said: "I am going to miss it, but I decided at that time I wanted to move on to other things. It's four and a half years now, and I'm just moving on, keeping up with the times."
Her departure was prompted by Sandi's exit, who left to feature on different show's, including Celebrity Big Brother, Famous And Fighting Crime and Celebrity Fat Fighters. Sandra herself has starred in First Dates and 100 Years Younger In 21 Days.
The Tapper family
The Tapper family ended up departing the show for similar reasons to the Michael family's brief exit, son Josh secured a job in politics.
He beat thousands of applicants to begin a Civil Service apprenticeship based in the communications department of No 10's Cabinet Office.
Steph and Dom
One of the show's most popular pairings, Steph and Dom spoke to The Sun about their Gogglebox exit: "We think it's important that everyone gets their chance to be on Gogglebox and give their opinion, and having been on it from the beginning we felt like we'd pretty much said all we needed to say, and we knew what we were going to say."
- Gogglebox
- Family
Source: Read Full Article