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22nd April 2024
12:01pm BST
Former Gogglebox star George Gilbey died from traumatic head and torso injuries he suffered after falling from height, a coroner has heard.
The electrician died last month whilst he was working in Shoeburyness, Essex
An inquest was opened into the 40-year-old's death, and the coroner in Chelmsford was told that Gilbey fell through a skylight while working on a roof.
A man was arrested under suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, but has since been released under investigation, the BBC reports.
Gilbey was a regular on hit Channel 4 show Gogglebox, and appeared on the programme alongside his mother Linda and late stepfather Pete.
Gilbey featured on Gogglebox from 2013 to 2018, and was also a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2014.
At the request of Essex Police, senior coroner Lincoln Brookes has adjourned proceedings for four months.
Following Gilbey's death, a fundraiser was set up to cover the cost of his funeral. Hundreds of people donated to the page, and at the time of writing it has raised just over €7, 500.
In a statement on social media, Gogglebox paid tribute to Gilbey.
The show's official X account said its "thoughts and deepest condolences" were with Gilbey's loved ones.
Following the news of his death last month, George Gilbey's mum, Linda, revealed that she was going through a rollercoaster of emotions following the death of her only child.
Family friend and Geordie Shore star Ricci Guarnaccio, who broke the news of George's death on Wednesday 29 March, said that he had spoken with Linda who told him she had been inundated with messages of condolences in the days following her son's sudden passing.
Ricci told The The Mirror: "I'm broken, just devastated. I’ve just got off the phone to Lin 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.
"Then he went into the Big Brother house alongside myself and we all just clicked. He got on with everyone. I remember him walking around [the house] and he was saying ‘what the f*** am I doing in here with all you?’.
"He was a ball of light. Obviously, we were a similar age and lads so we we spent a lot of time together when we left the house."
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