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Former Gogglebox star Rev Kate Bottley has hit out at the Channel 4 show that made her a household name, branding it “exploitative” and revealing she gave a fake excuse to quit the series in 2016.
The Church of England vicar, who starred on the show for five series alongside her husband Graham, made the bombshell comments on the Walking the Dog podcast. She claimed her time on the hit reality show took a serious toll on her family's wellbeing, all for very little financial reward.
Rev Bottley, now a regular on BBC Radio and various faith-based programmes, admitted she had no intention of returning when she stepped away from the show.
“I wish I’d known how much it took over our life for two and a half years,” she said. “It’s reality TV, it’s, by its nature, consensual exploitation.”
She spoke candidly about the behind-the-scenes impact filming had on her children, particularly her son Arthur, who she described as being on the autistic spectrum, and daughter Ruby, who was still at school at the time.
“My kids spent two-and-a-half years sat in their bedrooms every Tuesday and Thursday night. They didn’t have friends round, didn’t get help with their homework,” she said.
Even something as simple as family dinners became a logistical challenge.
“I’m married to a man who won’t eat takeaways, and I didn’t want to be filmed eating, so I cooked proper meals. There were casseroles and chillis for the whole crew, twice a week.”
Rev Bottley claimed that while Gogglebox paid them a fee, it was largely swallowed up by electricity bills, internet usage, and hosting six crew members in their home two evenings a week.
“All the money we got went on keeping the crew fed and watered,” she said.
While she admitted there were “good times,” she confessed that ultimately, the experience became too much.
“It got to the point where we were just overwhelmed.”
Her honesty has sparked a debate online about the true cost of reality TV, particularly when it comes to families who open their homes to the cameras.
