THE wife of Gogglebox star Pete McGarry has paid tribute to her husband after he lost his battle with cancer.

Pete and wife Linda, alongside her son George, became household names thanks to their hilarious contributions to the Channel 4.

Pete, 71, died at his home in St Osyth with his family by his side.

Linda told her how Pete had lost six stone from dieting during lockdown but earlier this year he was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Despite an operation to removed the tumour Pete was told he had six months to live but died just days later. 

Before their time on Gogglebox the couple fostered more than 100 children with many of them taking the time to contact her. 

“Pete was a lovely man and I was so lucky to have him for 25 years,” she said.

Linda, 71, said despite Pete’s larger than life persona her husband was actually quite a shy man.

But he grew to love the attention and selfies that came with Gogglebox fame with the couple joining the show in series two.

“People would say ‘Don’t you get fed up with selfies’ but Pete loved it. When we went on holiday people would come and chat to us and we loved it.”

The couple met when Linda was running a pub in Witham and went on to run their own boozer in Braintree. 

And Linda revealed their hilarious banter was the same in real life as on screen.

“He was always taking the mickey out of me on the show and he was like that to the end. 

“When he was really ill I asked him if he wanted me to sing to him and he wailed ‘nooooo.”

“He had a marvellous sense of humour.”

The couple did not know much about Gogglebox when they joined - ending up as part of it after George had been spotted for it.

“We didn’t know what Gogglebox was originally but they wanted families so we ended up on there with George.

“He loved it and we loved the crew. He really took to it and loved it.

“We didn’t know what it was going to be and we went on to win a BAFTA.

“When they told Pete he only had six months I said to him ‘We have done things that nobody else would ever do in a lifetime.

“Him and George really loved each other, George is really cut up."

Pete worked on the railways as a track inspector. 

Linda has two grown up boys whilst Pete had two daughters with his first wife Sue who died.

Linda said she’s been receiving messages of support and condolence from all across the world.

Pete’s funeral will take place in August.