Gogglebox star Linda McGarry has been left riding a rollercoaster of emotions following the death of her only child , 40-year-old George Gilbey . Family friend Geordie Shore star Ricci Guarnaccio , who broke the news of George's death on Wednesday, said Linda has been inundated with messages of condolences in the wake of her son's sudden passing and shared how she would like her late child to be remembered. "I'm broken, just devastated," Ricci said while talking to the Mirror this morning. The reality TV star, who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother with George in 2014, went on to say: "I’ve just got off the phone to Lin[da] 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." Ricci continued: "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. The Geordie Shore star has been sharing his memories of his late friend ( Image: PA) He remained in contact with the Gogglebox star after leaving the Celebrity Big Brother house ( Image: PA) "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." Dad-of-one George sadly died in the early hours of Wednesday morning at the scene of a workplace incident, with Essex
police confirming that they were called to the scene in Shoebury. In a statement, police said that a man who had been working at height had sustained an injury from a fall and died at the scene. A man was later arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with George's tragic death. George quickly became a fan-favourite when he and his family joined the Gogglebox cast, back on series two in 2013. The loveable Essex family took a break from the Channel 4 show in 2014, and George even tried his luck on Celebrity Big Brother, making it to the final that same year. Ricci and George struck up a friendship inside the house and remained close pals 10 years on from their reality TV venture, with Ricci recalling to the Mirror today how he caught up with George shortly before his death. "I spoke to him last week, wanted me to post for his friend’s daughter - he was always looking out for people," Ricci remembered. "He loved his daughter more than anything in the entire world and I think that is what’s most devastating," the Geordie Shore star continued. "A mother has lost her son and a young daughter will have to bury her father." Ricci went on to tell us how he plans to see George's mother ASAP. "There’s obviously an inquest going on , so the funeral won’t be happening straight away. I’ll be making sure she’s alright and checking in," the grieving reality TV star explained. "It’s still fresh and really raw. He was 40. It doesn’t feel real. The type of person he was, he wasn’t a 40 year old in head, he was a young man still. He wanted to live life to the fullest. He was always smiling and laughing. He always cared. It was always him reaching out and keeping in touch with everyone." Following his stint on Celebrity Big Brother, George delighted telly fans when Delighting fans everywhere when he returned to the sofa for Gogglebox in 2016 with his mum Linda and stepdad Pete McGarry. But sadly, in 2021, Pete suddenly passed away at 71, mere days after being told he had just six months to live due to bowel
cancer. Heartbroken, Linda spoke about her son's struggle, recalling: "Pete was a lovely man and I was so lucky to have him for 25 years. I said to him, 'We've not only been 25 years, it's been day and night with each other. He was my life." Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat ,
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