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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Emmeline Saunders

How did Gogglebox stars Jenny and Lee meet – and do they really live in a caravan?

They've been appearing on our screens for eight years now, but just how much do we really know about Gogglebox breakout stars Jenny Newby and Lee Riley?

The pair, who live in Hull, have kept us entertained with their best friendship since 2014, with their quick quips, excellent side-eye reactions and brutal digs at each other.

They lifted the nation's spirits in lockdown when it emerged they'd moved in together to self-isolate so the show could go on.

Since their debut, we've had Jenny showing off her detective skills with her 'H' notebook during last year's gruelling Line Of Duty series, Lee accidentally eating Jenny's face cream after thinking it was delicious dip, and Jenny staining all of Lee's white washing orange after mistakingly chucking in a coloured towel.

But how did the reality show pair meet, and what's kept them together this long?

Are Jenny and Lee from Gogglebox in a relationship?

Jenny and Lee lived together during lockdown - but as 'friend with no benefits', as they gleefully told fans (jennyandlee_gogglebox/Instagram)

Hahhahahaha. HAAA. Short answer: no. Long answer: Nooooo.

Jenny is happily married to husband Ray, who has never once appeared on the show and declined to take part when Gogglebox recruiters approached Jenny at Beverley Races Ladies' Day.

Instead she begged Lee to join her - and he took quite a bit of convincing.

"I'wasn't [at Beverley Races] but she asked me if I wanted to sit and do a test filming with her," Lee told the Hull Daily Mail

"I'd never seen Gogglebox, it had only just started, so I walked into filming swearing my head off because she'd got me out of bed on my day off."

Lee's partner Steve Mail has also never appeared on the show, like Ray preferring to stay out of the limelight, but Lee regularly pays gushing tribute to him on social media.

Jenny and Lee with his partner Steve, who usually lives in Cyprus (jennyandlee_gogglebox/Instagram)

After spending the summer of 2021 together abroad, Steve shared a snap of them together by the pool and captioned it: "A very happy 53rd birthday to my better half and my best friend in the world love you to the moon and back thank you for yet another amazing summer here in beautiful Cyprus.

"I will miss you so much as you prepare to head back to Blighty for the next instalment of Gogglebox when you will finally reunite with your sidekick the adorable Jenny Newby."

The happy couple don't appear to live together but have a long-distance relationship spanning Europe.

How did Gogglebox stars Jenny and Lee meet?

The pair have been friends for 28 years and counting (jennyandlee_gogglebox/Instagram)

Jenny and Lee first met in 1994 when she was the landlady of a pub in Yorkshire - and they quickly became inseparable.

"Lee was a customer at my pub, The Crown Inn in Paull" she told Ireland's Big Issue.

"He became a regular in 1994 and used to come in pretty much every night with his partner and we were friends from the off.

"We've been best friends ever since."

Lee joked: "I wish I've never gone in the pub – it cost me a fortune.

"When I first met her she had a perm and I can remember thinking, 'she needs a haircut'. We were firm friends immediately."

He added: "I don't think we've ever had an argument. We're too placid to argue. She makes me laugh too much for me to ever fall out with her."

Do Jenny and Lee live together and who owns the caravan?

It's actually Lee's caravan and is stationed in Patrington Haven caravan park in Hull, where Lee lives when he's not overseas. Jenny normally lives with her husband Ray elsewhere.

They did live together temporarily during the first lockdown in spring 2020, just to ensure they could continue filming while Lee's partner Steve was in Cyprus.

They tweeted their news from their shared account, Lee writing: "Well what can we say it's Friday and it's still on #Gogglebox.

"Jenny and me watching together as we are both on lockdown TOGETHER friends with no benefits I may add an hour of laughs stay safe stay well #StayHomeSavesLives."

After nine long weeks of living in the caravan, Jenny left Lee to return home to Ray.

"I'll miss you when I go home. Have you bought me a leaving present?" she asked Lee on camera.

"Yeah. A f**king suitcase," Lee shot back.

Are Gogglebox's Jenny and Lee related?

The pair have long joked about being 'married', but are long-time best friends (INSTAGRAM)

While there's been plenty of social media speculation about Lee being Jenny's son, the pair are very much not related.

They've been friends for 28 years and counting, with Jenny set to turn 66 in June this year and Lee just a few years younger at 52.

Have Jenny and Lee left Gogglebox?

Definitely not - in fact, you'll see them both tonight and every Friday for the next few weeks on Channel 4.

However, there was feverish speculation they'd quit the show in December 2021 when Jo Whiley mistakenly telling Radio 2 listeners that they were leaving the cast.

Lee and Jenny instantly put paid to the rumours, telling their Twitter fans that Jo "is totally wrong" with a string of crying with laughter emojis.

Jo replied: "I am SOOOO Sorry!!! I completely thought I’d read you were leaving, I’m sure I did! Maybe I dreamt it. I'm really happy to hear that though. Love you two, just like Chris [Martin from Coldplay]."

*Gogglebox series 19 launches tonight at 9pm on Channel 4

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