Gogglebox star Andrew Michael dies aged 61

Gogglebox fans will be saddened by the news that former star of the show Andrew Michael has passed away. Andrew was an original cast member on the show, joining with his wife Carolyne in 2013. Channel 4, producers of Gogglebox, broke the news in a statement today (26 August), confirming he passed away at the weekend. Who was Andrew Michael? Andrew was the son of Cypriot immigrants who came to the UK in 1951. Nine years later, Andrew was born and he went on to marry his wife Carolyne. Together they shared four children - Katy, Alex, Pascal and Louis - and lived in Brighton where Andrew worked as a hotelier. In 2013, the family became famous as cast members on Channel 4’s reality-reaction show Gogglebox. However, Andrew decided to be cut from the show during the 2015 general election campaign, as he ran as a UKIP candidate and was not allowed to participate in the show during this time. During the election campaign, Andrew told the BBC: "We had a number of family meetings and the children essentially interviewed me. They said, ‘Dad, how much do you really want to do this? How much do you really want to be a Ukip MP?’" He came third in the seat of Hastings and Rye, attracting almost 6,800 votes, or 13% of the constituency total. The family returned to Gogglebox following his defeat. What did the Channel 4 statement say? A statement from Channel 4 and producers Studio Lambert said he died after a short illness last weekend with his family by his side. "Retired hotelier Andy, who brought much wit and insight to Gogglebox, was one of the show’s original cast members, appearing in the very first episode in 2013," it said. "Beloved father to Katy, Alex, Pascal and Louis, and cherished husband of Carolyne, Andy was a much-loved and respected member of the Gogglebox family, and he will be very sadly missed. "Our love and thoughts are with Carolyne and the entire family. The family has asked for privacy at this very sad time." Michael died in the same week as his Gogglebox co-star Mary Cook, who was 92.