Ex Goggleboxer Chris Ashby-Steed has lifted the lid on his fallout with on-screen partner Stephen Webb, revealing it left him feeling depressed and even suicidal.
Originally a couple, Chris and Stephen signed up for the Channel 4 show in 2013 as friends and appeared in several series together.
But according to Chris, their relationship began to turn sour after Stephen pulled out of a separate venture they were set to embark on together.
And Chris – who has since left Gogglebox – reveals the feud left feeling like a “failure” and “agoraphobic”.
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Hairdresser Chris, 42, told The Mirror that he and Stephen, 46, were approached by a production company to launch their own project, away from Gogglebox.
But he says he was left “hurt” after Stephen emailed the company to say he was pulling out.
That appeared to be the beginning of the end for their friendship, with Chris claiming that Stephen gave him the cold shoulder.
“Then the studio called and said they would like to offer us the position back on Gogglebox,” he told the paper. “I spoke to Stephen and his attitude was: ‘I’m not sure I can put up with you every other week filming.’ Which was a bit of a blow.
“I turned around to him and said: ‘I get the impression that I think a lot more of you than you do of me.’ His reply was: ‘Yeah, you’re probably right.'”
In the end, Stephen re-appeared on the show with his mum Pat. She has since been replaced by Stephen’s husband Daniel Lustig.
As for Chris, he claims that the new partner he wanted to appear with was pooh-poohed by the show’s producers, persuading him to leave.
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And he says the whole episode left him feeling terrible.
“There have been times where I’ve felt so low that I think: ‘How can I kill myself?'” he explained. “I’ve felt like a failure. I’ve been depressed, I struggle in social situations, I’m agoraphobic.”
Gogglebox has been a massive hit with viewers since it first aired in 2013, with over 150 episodes having been filmed.
The show launched the TV careers of Scarlett Moffatt and George Gilbey, among others.
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