'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding' Twin Stars Bill and Joe Smith Dead After Reported Suicide

Tragedy has struck the family that starred in My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. The twin brothers who [...]

By Kyle Phillippi

Tragedy has struck the family that starred in My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. The twin brothers who appeared in the show, Bill and Joe Smith, are alleged to have committed suicide in a report by TMZ. The two were found hanging in a tree in Sevenoaks, England, according to law enforcement. They were 32 at the time of their passing.

As of early Sunday afternoon, officials are continuing to investigate the apparent joint suicide. The incident occurred a few days after Christmas. Paddy Doherty, who won Celebrity Big Brother in England, was among the first to comment on the news. He shared a message on his Facebook.

"I'm very sorry for their troubles from the bottom of my heart. May God look after them, may God have mercy on them, they are two angels, harmless, they were unbelievable," he commented, adding that it is a "terrible, terrible tragedy."

Along with Dohertry, others have taken to the social media platform to share their thoughts and prayers for the brothers.

"The love they had for one another. They couldn't live without one another," one user wrote.

Another post read, "They both took their own lives... Depression is rife among our folk."

The brothers appeared on the third season of the show and at the time were 24-years-old. My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding aired in England and debuted in 2010. On the show, the brothers were seen working as gardeners. The British version ran up until 2015 after four seasons.

According to a story on The Guardian, the series didn't come without criticism, despite winning in the ratings department. Critics were often calling out the show for its direction.

"It's posing as a documentary, the voiceover is saying we're going to let you into the secrets of the traveller community – and it just not true," said Jane Jackson, deputy chief executive of the Rural Media Company. "It might be true of the particular families in front of the camera, but it's not generally true."

Jes Wilkins, an executive producer for the show, argued that the series received unfair criticism.

"It's become one of the big cultural phenomena of this part of the year and people are looking for something to write about it, something provocative. Some these articles have upset our contributors which has been disappointing," he says.

The series led to a spin-off in America called My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding. That series premiered in April of 2012 on TLC and lasted for six seasons. The final episode appeared on Sept. 4, 2016.

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