The pensioner was a familiar face on the Channel 4 show for three years alongside his wife
Ken with wife Anne on the hit Channel 4 show(Image: CHANNEL 4)
Gogglebox star Ken Harwood has died after a short illness at the age of 77. In a statement from show bosses, they confirmed Ken had passed away last week and said they would pay tribute to him on tonight’s show.
Ken and his wife Anne from County Durham were married for 55 years and were popular Gogglebox cast members from series 15 – 19 which broadcast on Channel 4 during 2020 to 2022.
In their debut appearance on the show, romantic Ken presented Anne with a bouquet of 50 roses, one for every year they’ve been married. Anne was very grateful for the bouquet, but joked that she hadn’t got him anything in return.
She said: “You have put me to shame now with a card and roses, and I got you nothing. But you have me and that’s all you need.”
When they joined the show fans said they “fitted in” straight away, giving option on TV moments like an ITV news story about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ’s move to Canada.
Anne remarked “She maybe just doesn’t like England or Great Britain,” to which Ken responded: “Why? Nothing wrong with it… except for the weather.”
The couple appeared on the show for five series over three years(Image: CHANNEL 4 )
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Born in 1948 in Consett, County Durham, Ken was a postmaster for 30 years; he then went onto be a local councillor before retiring in 2013.
A statement from the show makers said: “Ken will be dearly missed by his wife Anne, sons Simon and Ross, daughter-in-law, Elle, grandchildren Freya and Tristram, and all who knew him.
“There will be a tribute to Ken at the end of Channel 4’s episode on Gogglebox tonight.”
Earlier this month, former Gogglebox star Josh Tapper appeared on TV screens in a very different way, as he was elected as a Labour councillor nine years after quitting the Channel 4 show.
Josh is now the councillor for the Underhill ward in the borough of Barnet. According to reports, Josh won 1,128 votes which enabled him to win a seat alongside his fellow Labour candidate Zahra Beg. Taking to social media, his sister Amy proudly broke the news writing: “My brother is officially a Councillor! So so proud.”
The Gogglebox community has been rocked by several tragic deaths over the years. In March 2024, former George Gilbey died aged 40 following a workplace accident.
George appeared on Gogglebox alongside his mum Linda McGarry and stepdad Pete McGarry. from 2013 to 2014 and again from 2016 to 2018. Tragically, in 2024, he was killed after falling from a height at work.
A few years prior, in 2021, Mary Cook sadly died aged 92. She was originally on the show alongside friend Marina Wingrove from 2016 to 2021.
Leon and June Bernicoff were instant hits when they made their debut back in 2013. June left the show after 83-year-old Leon’s death in 2017. She then wrote a book about her experiences before her death in 2020.
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