Gogglebox is the Channel 4 show which turns ordinary members of the public into household names.
Back in 2013 when series one aired, it didn’t seem like a programme about people watching TV shows would catch on.
But almost a decade later, it’s still as popular as ever – although some of the most famous faces are no longer a part of the show.
In fact the only family still in Googlebox to star in it from the beginning are the Siddiqui’s from Leicester.
And just this week more stars announced they were quitting the show.
The Baggs family from Essex – made up of dad Terry, mum Lisa and sons Joe and George - revealed they had quit after three series due to work commitments.
Here we take a look at why some former Gogglebox stars decided to leave and what they are up to now.
Scarlett Moffatt
The most famous star to have come out of Gogglebox is Scarlett Moffatt.
The County Durham lass became a regular cast member after her family joined in series three – and it wasn’t long before she became a show favourite.
Such was her success that Scarlett quit Gogglebox when she was asked to appear on I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! which she won in 2016.
This led to presenting stints on I’m A Celebrity spin-off Extra Camp, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and Capital Radio.
She has also appeared on the celebrity versions of The Great British Bake Off, Catchphrase, The Chase and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
Now 31, Scarlett’s latest TV appearance in April 2022 was in Mary Berry’s Fantastic Feasts.
Off-screen she lives with her policeman boyfriend Scott Dobinson, who she started dating in 2018.
The pair host a podcast together, Scarlett Moffatt Wants To Believe, on BBC Sounds.
They also have 122,000 Instagram followers for their home interiors account @ourbonniebarn. While Scarlett’s personal Instagram page boasts 2.2 million followers.
In a sweet post celebrating their third anniversary, Scarlett wrote: “3 years officially together my love @scottdobby
“I had honestly thought about giving up on finding a nice guy. I felt like I’d been handed enough luck in my life & so love wasn’t going to be a part of my story, felt almost like I didn’t deserve it. Until I met you & everything clicked into place.
“I realised every relationship before you was a lesson that would lead me to you & im so grateful for that. Please never give up on true love I promise there’s somebody out there who was made for you & don’t rush it. I’ve known Scott nearly 15 years sometimes everything happens for a reason.”
Tom Malone Jnr
Tom Malone Jr shot to fame as part of the much-loved Malone family from Manchester back in 2014.
Known for their epic TV snacks and pet Rottweilers, the rest of the Malones – including dad Tom Snr, mum Julie and brother Shaun - still remain a part of the show.
But son Tom announced he was leaving in February 2021 a day before the new series was due to air.
The now 27-year-old posted a cheeky snap on Instagram of him holding a cardboard sign which read: “Back on the market. Get at me with any TV work.”
He captioned the post: "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."
He continued: "I look forward to enjoying the show as a viewer and not having to worry about having said something stupid [laughing emoji]".
Since leaving the show, Tom has firmly established himself as a model and choreographer.
The dance sensation is a member of professional dance crew Ruff Diamond and has shown off his moves alongside the likes of The Black Eyed Peas, Rita Ora and Wiley.
He has also gone on to star in other reality shows and is a current contestant in E4’s The Real Dirty Dancing , hosted by Keith Lemon and Ashley Roberts.
Off camera, Tom lives with his beautiful model girlfriend Bryony Briscoe - with the pair going public with their relationship in June last year.
The Gogglebox star was horrified last year after disgusting trolls directed racial abuse towards his stunning girlfriend.
Taking to Instagram to call them out, he told his 321,000 followers: “Racism is a massive issue in the UK whether you want to admit it or not #BlackLivesMatter.”
Steph and Dom Parker
One of the original Gogglebox families, who can forget husband and wife Steph and Dom Parker.
The posh pair were best known on the show for their witty one-liners and never being without a glass of fizz in their hand.
But after four years on the show, the couple quit in 2016 to focus on other projects including running their bed and breakfast, The Salutation, in Sandwich, Kent.
They went on to star in reality TV shows such as Celebrity Masterchef, Four In A Bed and The Jump, which left Dom with suspected concussion after a nasty fall.
They even performed as Meatloaf and Cher for Comic Relief’s Let’s Sing and Dance in 2017 and hosted a talkRADIO show until 2020.
But it hasn’t all been success for the Parker’s as they announced they were shutting the doors to their B&B before the pandemic after racking up debts of £1.8 million.
The pair, both in their fifties, have since sold the £5 million 17-bedroom property and are now thought to be living in their holiday home in the Canary Islands.
Sandi Bogle and Sandra Martin
Sandi Bogle and best pal Sandra Martin had viewers in stitches as they gave their TV commentary from their sofa in Brixton, south London.
But it hasn’t been the same since Sandi decided to quit the show in 2016 to pursue her singing career and other opportunities.
The first cousin of supermodel Naomi Campbell released an album called Independent Woman and appeared on other reality shows such as Celebs On The Farm, Celebrity Fat Fighters and Celebrity 100% Hotter.
She also took part in Channel 4 ’s Famous and Fighting Crime, as she has been campaigning to end knife crime since the tragic death of her nephew in 2017.
Although Sandi left, Sandra carried on starring in Gogglebox alongside her daughter Chanchez.
But she shocked the nation in 2017 when she announced she was quitting live on This Morning.
However, tragedy followed as Sandra revealed she had spent all the money she earned on Gogglebox – and at one point feared being homeless.
She lost friends who she said were only after her for money since she starred on the show.
Tragically when covid hit, Sandra lost several members of her inner circle to the deadly superbug.
Her sister-in-law, uncle, friend’s dad and a good friend all died within one week of each other.
Urging the public to listen to the government's advice, Sandra posted a video on Twitter where she spoke into the camera and begged people to stay at home.
Reverend Kate Bottley
Dubbed the ‘nation's favourite vicar’ during her time on Gogglebox, Reverend Kate Bottley from Nottinghamshire was an instant hit with fans.
The Church of England minister shot to fame during five series of the show alongside her husband Graham.
But viewers were baffled when the couple appeared to go missing in 2015 and pleaded for them to return.
Kate later explained they were taking a break from the cameras to help their daughter while she sat her GCSEs – but it turned into a permanent exit as the Bottley’s never returned.
However, it wasn’t the last time fans saw Kate on TV. She has since appeared on Songs of Praise and presented BBC One’s main Easter programme.
She has written for the likes of The Independent, The Guardian and Radio Times and regularly presents the Pause for Thought segment on Radio 2 Breakfast.
Kate has also appeared on 8 Out of 10 Cats and won Richard Osman’s House of Games.
In 2020, she did a charity trek to raise money for needy causes as part of Pilgrimage: The Road to Santiago.
These days she appears to be a wild swimming fan, judging from her Instagram photos.
Chris Ashby-Steed
Hairdresser Chris used to appear on Gogglebox alongside his ex-partner Stephen Webb when the couple lived in Brighton.
He quit the show in 2018 when the pair split and was replaced by Stephen’s mum and later Stephen’s husband Daniel Lustig.
Chris has moved on himself and is now married to husband Tony Ashby.
The pair now live in rural Wales and are renovating a house which they plan to partly rent out on Airbnb once it is finished.
But Chris’ husband appeared to hint Chris had been “bullied” off the show by Channel 4 bosses and his ex-boyfriend Stephen.
He tweeted: "The studio stood by and watched Stephen bully my husband Chris off the show and did nothing to stop him.
"The helped him get his mum on the show behind Chris’s back without even telling him…."
The Michaels
The Michaels were one of the original families on the show when it first kicked off in 2013.
Dad Andrew was joined by wife Carolyne and two of their four children, daughter Alex and son Louis.
They had to leave the show in 2015 when Andrew revealed he was running as an MP for UKIP in the general election.
This was because Channel 4 bosses decided Andrew couldn’t hold a political seat and remain on the show.
The family opted to pursue Andrew’s political aspirations so agreed to leave in 2014.
But when Andrew failed to win the Hastings and Rye seat, the family were invited back onto the show in 2015.
Sadly it wasn’t for long as Andrew died aged 61 following a short illness in August 2021.
It was later announced the family would not be returning to the show without him.
The Tappers
Another original family, the Tappers first appeared on Gogglebox in 2013.
Mum Nikki, dad Jonathan were joined by daughter Amy and son Josh, who was just a schoolboy at the time.
But Josh surprised viewers when he announced he was leaving the show five years later to pursue a career in politics.
He landed a place on the coveted Government Communications Apprenticeship scheme in 2018.
During his time in Number 10, Josh was a campaign assistant for the Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Office before working as assistant campaign manager.
He has since secured a job at Demos – a leading British think tank and charity.
Sister Amy carried on appearing on Gogglebox with her parents after Josh left the show.
But she decided to walk away in October 2018 so she could take part in E4 dating show Celebs Go Dating.
The youngest contestant to take part, viewers saw a new side to Amy as she glammed up for a number of dates and opened up on her relationship history.
Unfortunately, Amy did not find the love of her life but she did gain a lot of confidence and made some new celebrity pals, including Love Island star Olivia Attwood .
Amy then underwent an incredible body transformation, achieving her goal by slowly making changes to her routine, rather than aiming for a quick fix.
She delighted fans by showing off her amazing three stone weight loss and is now a social media influencer with over 78,000 Instagram followers.
George Gilbey
George quickly becoming a firm favourite with viewers alongside his mum Linda and step dad Pete McGarry.
The Essex-based family left viewers in stitches from the moment they arrived in series two, but their time on the show didn't initially last for very long.
Electrician George was forced to quit the show when he decided to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house in August 2014.
George was later embroiled in a love triangle in the CBB house - having grown close to Made In Chelsea star Stephanie Pratt before moving onto B*Witched singer Edele Lynch.
George claimed he was "in love" with The Hills star Stephanie to fellow housemates and they shared a kiss.
However, once she was evicted, George moved very quickly on to Edele and they had a cheeky snog outside before kissing in bed together.
George finished in fourth place, then had to face the wrath of Stephanie when he left the house.
Once outside of the house, George and Edele went on holiday to a caravan park, and unsurprisingly their romance fizzled out.
The Essex lad and his family finally returned to Gogglebox in 2016 after a three series absence.
But the force of the law came knocking when George was jailed for three months in 2019 for drink driving.
Then in June 2021 it was announced that George’s dad Pete had sadly died aged 71 from a short illness.
George has since become a dad and regularly posts pictures of his daughter on Instagram.
Paige Deville
One of the latest stars to quit Gogglebox is Paige Deville.
The 25-year-old blonde from Birmingham is kown for appearing on the sofa alongside her mum Sally.
The pair joined the cast in 2019 but Paige announced she was quitting in October 2021 – and appeared to blast Gogglebox bosses.
In a tweet, she wrote: “I have made the decision to walk away from Gogglebox."
The reality TV personality continued: "It’s been an experience but one I cannot continue with due to long hours of filming, restrictiveness, control of our actions and opinions & zero aftercare support but hey who cares about ex cast, their NTA winners".
A Gogglebox spokesperson said: "The welfare of contributors – past and present – is of paramount importance and robust protocols are in place to support contributors before, during and after taking part in the series.”
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