Gogglebox star George Gilbey's mother reveals his final words to her before his death
29 April 2024, 6:59 | Updated: 29 April 2024, 7:46
Gogglebox star George Gilbey's mother has revealed his final words to her before he died.
The electrician died from traumatic head and torso injuries after falling 80ft through a skylight on March 27.
Mr Gilbey became a household name following his appearance on Gogglebox, where he appeared alongside his mother, Linda McGarry, and stepfather Pete McGarry.
Ms McGarry, 74, said her son had been doing building jobs to raise the cash to move closer to his daughter.
She said he rang her just hours before he died.
Read more: Gogglebox star George Gilbey's cause of death revealed as inquest gets underway
She told the Sun: "He was happy. He ended the call with ‘I love you’. I treasure those words."
Speaking for the first time after the incident, she said: "It was an honour for him to have been my son. We had a blast for 40 years."
She said Mr Gilbey was always "fussing" over her after she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s but he struggled financially and battled his own demons.
Ms McGarry revealed he had stayed with a relative the night before his death but they still spoke on the phone.
"He phoned me at 9.30 on the morning and said he was working — and asked me for his ‘breakfast money'," she said.
"I put £30 in his account so he could get food, and he seemed fine.
"He had a drink the night before, and liked a bottle of white wine or two, but was happy that he was working.
"He ended the phone call by saying, ‘I love you’ like he usually did. I treasure those words."
Mr Gilbey was hoping to move closer to his daughter, who lives in South West London with her mum, when he died.
"He was going to rent from his friend, Skippy, near to Amelie in Twickenham," Ms McGarry said.
“George was on great terms with Gemma and wanted to do things like pick Amelie up from school.
"He wanted to be with Amelie, who he adored.
"They were on the third day of a job that was going to last a month, and he was going to get money together from that.
"When they were together, George and Amelie were always laughing. She is going to miss him terribly, like we all will."
A private ceremony was held for the reality TV star last Thursday at Weeley Crematorium after a GoFundMe was set up, raising £7,000 for the service.
Crowds of people attended the service, with floral wreaths placed in the hearse and tributes laid near the crematorium.