reasons gogglebox cast quit

These are the reasons why our favourite Gogglebox cast members left the show

I miss Tom Malone Jr already


Gogglebox is back to fill our boring lockdown evenings, however one of everyone’s favourite cast members Tom Malone Jr announced he was leaving the show last week. Tom joins a whole host of ex Gogglebox contestants who will be sorely missed and have a multitude of reasons for why they quit the show.

Gogglebox first began in 2013 and in that time we’ve met a bunch of iconic families who make us laugh every week. Having run for eight years now, it’s understandable many of the cast members have decided to leave the show.

Some quit to get even more famous by appearing on other reality shows, others quit to focus on family and some even left because of serious fallings out.

These are the reasons why our favourite Gogglebox cast members quit the show:

Tom Malone Jr

via Instagram @tommalonejr

Tom Malone Jr has been a firm favourite and we were all very sad when he announced his departure from Gogglebox before the new series started last Friday.

Tom made the announcement on his Instagram and said he was sad to be leaving the show, but it was time to pursue new opportunities.

He said: “So after 6 and a half years it’s finally time to put down the remote, and to say goodbye to Gogglebox.

“I’ve loved every minute and I’m eternally grateful to @channel4 and @studiolambert 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. PS. Don’t worry my family @themalonesgb and @shaunmalone95 will still be on the show to keep you guys entertained every Friday.”

Thankfully the rest of his family will still be here to entertain us all every Friday.

Chris Ashby-Steed

via Instagram @chrisashbysteed

Chris is iconic for his Gogglebox quote “we all like a bad boy though don’t we”. Unfortunately Chris left the show in 2018, at the time he said he was leaving the show to look for new opportunities.

He wrote on Twitter: “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.”

However in 2019 Chris spoke out and claimed Stephen had ended their production deal without talking to him first. He alleged Channel 4 offered for them to come back but Stephen didn’t want to work with him.

He said: “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 tweeted about the claims and said it had affected his mental health.

A spokesperson for Gogglebox told the Mirror: “Chris has not contacted us since he made the decision to leave the show. The duty of care of the Gogglebox contributors is of paramount importance.”

Sandi and Sandra

via Channel 4

The iconic duo of Sandi and Sandra had been on Gogglebox since the very beginning, however Sandi decided to leave in 2016.

Sandi decided to leave to pursue her music career and develop other career opportunities. She went onto appear in Celebrity Big Brother and Celebs on The Farm.

Sandra stayed on Gogglebox for another year where she was joined by her daughter Chanchez, however she quit because it was never the same and certain topics became no gos because she was filming with her daughter.

She announced her decision to leave live on This Morning and said she would miss the show. She said: “Well, yeah, 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.”

Reverend Kate and Graham Bottley

via Instagram @revkatebottley

Kate and Graham appeared on the show for two years across four seasons. Kate announced on Twitter they were pausing their time on the show due to their daughter’s GCSEs.

She tweeted: “Hi, our daughter has her GCSES so we needed a break from the cameras.” However the couple never returned to Gogglebox.

But Kate did pop up on our screens again in a variety of shows, most notably on Celebrity Masterchef.

Steph and Dom

via Instagram @stephanddom

The dreadfully posh Steph and Dom were on the show for seven series before giving up the TV remote. The pair quit the show as they wanted to seek out new opportunities and give other people a go at the show.

In an interview with The Sun Dom said: “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 say.”

Steph also said the show added to their already busy lives and so decided to quit. She said: “You can have too much of a good thing, so you can’t overdo it, we just felt it was time.

“We’ve got other projects and not a lot of time. We’re very busy and filming at the hotel was pretty tough.”

The Tappers

via Instagram @amytappsx

The Tapper family from North London appeared on the show from season one to 11. The family’s first member to leave the show was son Josh who quit the show to focus on his new career at the end of series 10.

Josh had a place on the Government Communications Apprenticeship scheme, and though the Gogglebox team said he was always welcome to return, Josh said he wouldn’t be coming back.

He said even though he missed the show, his new career was a more safe bet and was going to stick with it. Josh said: “The option to go back is always there but I want to move away from that and the focus is now very much on my job.

“Of course, I miss it and the sitting on the couch watching TV. But I am more focused on my future….it’s a more a secure path.”

The rest of the family continued for another season, however they also gave up the show and Amy went on Celebs Go Dating in late 2018.

The Moffats

reasons gogglebox cast quit

via Instagram @scarlettmoffatt

Scarlett Moffatt is such a regular feature on TV now I almost forget she started out on Gogglebox. Along with her mum, dad and occaisonally little sister Ava-Grace, Scarlett started on Gogglebox in 2014.

Two years later Scarlett was offered a place on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, and this appears to be the reason the whole family left the show.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 said Scarlett would not be appearing on the upcoming series of the show and never did return to the show.

They said: “Scarlett Moffatt is going in to I’m a Celebrity and will no longer participate in this series of Gogglebox.

“The show’s producers have not had any conversations with Scarlett about leaving or returning to Gogglebox after her stint in the Jungle.

“The Moffatts have been excellent contributors to Gogglebox, and we are very grateful for all they have given to the show.”

Scarlett allegedly thought the rest of her family would be able to continue on the show without her but apparently Gogglebox wanted the whole family.

George Gilbey

reasons gogglebox cast quit

via Instagram @georgegilbey

George had joined his parents Linda and Peter when they signed up to the show for the second series, however after the third series, he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and therefore the whole family left the show.

But Linda and Peter returned to the show on their own for the seventh series and have been entertaining us since.

Featured image credits via Instagram @tommalonejr, @scarlettmoffatt, @stephanddom

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