Gogglebox's beloved Jenny Newby and best friend Lee Riley have become incredibly popular with fans of the show since their first appearance together in 2014. They pair's hilarious commentary and chemistry while watching the week's TV highlights have delighted fans for almost a decade.
They film together in Lee's holiday caravan in Holderness, Yorkshire and, while Lee's long-term partner Steve has been seen on the show, Jenny's husband Ray prefers to keep to himself, reports OK. As a result, when Jenny was approached by bosses to join Gogglebox, it wasn't her husband she turned to, but her best friend.
Jenny and Lee met in the Crown pub in Paull more than 20 years ago and have been inseparable ever since. At the time, Jenny was the landlady and Lee was a regular.
READ MORE: Gogglebox viewers concerned after empty seats shown where Giles and Mary sit
The 65-year-old was out enjoying Beverly Ladies Day when she got chatting to a Channel Four researcher and, after admitting she was a huge fan of the show, was invited to join the cast and star in it. "I was a big fan of it right from the beginning,” she said previously.
“If my friends were going out, I’d say, ‘I can’t, I’ve got to stay in and watch Gogglebox’. I loved it. So to be on it is amazing. I’d never have thought it would happen in a million years."
She added her and Lee were just doing what they already did together - watch TV and talk about it. The only difference was the cameras.
She said: “To be honest, all we’re doing is what we already did. We’d go down to Lee’s house or he’d come around to ours and we’d watch TV and talk about it. The only difference now is we’re on telly doing it.”
While the two are a popular pairing with viewers, Lee has said his first response was a bit rude when Jenny asked him. “No, it was,” laughs Lee. “It ended in ‘off’.
“Oh, that’s really rude, isn’t it? You can’t put that in the paper – but it’s true. I’d never heard of Gogglebox to be honest and I didn’t want to do it,” he said.
“I’d say it took her about an hour and a half to talk me into it – about as long as it took me to get me out of bed.”
Their friendship has only grown stronger as a result of filming the show together. The pair regularly holidays together, and even isolated together during the coronovirus lockdown in order to keep filming the show.
Click here to subscribe to the South West TV Talk newsletter, bringing you the latest showbiz news, gossip and features from across the West Country every week.
READ NEXT:
Carol Vorderman stuns fans with Cher impression and dance moves in little black dress
Sir Rod Stewart illness forces legend to cancel show as fans urge him to 'stay safe'
Gary Lineker breaks silence as he returns to BBC Saturday job
Red Nose Day's star-studded sketches help Comic Relief raise more than £31m
