Mary Cook, Reality TV Star, Dead at 92

Beloved reality TV star Mary Cook has died at the age of 92. Cook was best known as one of the stars of Gogglebox, the Channel 4 program she joined back in 2016 alongside fellow Bristolian Marina Wingrove. The two friends quickly became fan-favorites, and despite a brief absence from the show due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cook and Wingrove returned for the series finale this past May.

At this time, Cook’s cause of death has not been released. Her passing was confirmed on Aug. 23 in a statement issued by Channel 4 and producers Studio Lambert on behalf of her family, which said they were “extremely saddened” to share that Cook had passed away over the weekend. According to the statement, Cook passed away in the hospital with her family by her side. The statement added, “beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother and dear friend to many, Mary, who worked in the hospitality trade, had been married and widowed twice.”

The family’s statement went on to detail Cook and Wingrove’s friendship, noting that they first met a decade ago at St Monica Trust retirement village and “joined Gogglebox in 2016 at the start of series eight and became instant fan favourites due to their brilliantly witty and often cheeky comments.” According to the St Monica Trust retirement home website, the two close friends were discovered by a researcher for Gogglebox during a trip to Asda. Wingrove was approached by a researcher outside an Asda supermarket, “and he said, ‘Have you got a friend?’ And like that, Mary came round the corner on her scooter.” The website notes Cook said, “I was going shopping, so I asked them if they could wait until we got back. They came up to Marina’s flat, held cards up of different famous people and we had to talk about them.”

Despite having no prior TV experience, Cook and Wingrove’s Gogglebox appearances made them fan-favorites. According to the BBC, they were inducted into Bristol Live’sBristol Cool Hall of Fame last year.

News of Cook’s passing has led to an outpouring of tributes. Marvin Rees, the Mayor of Bristol, tweeted, “It’s still too rare to hear proper Bristolian accents on the telly – and, with their friendship, Mary and Marina brought so much more than that to [Gogglebox]. Thinking of Mary’s family, and Marina, today.” Another Gogglebox fan wrote, “So, so sad. Loved Mary so much. Her friendship and humour with Marina was pure gold. God bless.”