Roisin Kelly has spoken publicly for the first time since she and her partner, Joe, were not asked back to Channel 4's Gogglebox, saying producers told them the programme was being taken “in another direction” and away from their home.
In a TikTok video posted Saturday, Kelly pushed back on headlines that described the couple as having been "brutally axed," saying, "Brutally axed is probably a strong way to put it but we just weren't asked back. They just said they wanted to take the show in another direction... away from our house. So yeah there's not really any lore or any stories to it."
Kelly, who appeared on the programme with Joe from February 2022, said she had avoided speaking about the departure immediately because she did not want to appear bitter. She rejected suggestions of behind-the-scenes conflict, saying the couple had been on good terms with producers. "People always think there's more to it in these stories... but actually we were good friends with all our producers," she said.
The pair announced their exit in a July statement posted to social media, saying Channel 4 had decided it was time for them "to stretch out legs" after three-and-a-half years on the sofa and that they had not been asked back for season 26. In that message they thanked Studio Lambert and named a number of crew members, writing: "We have made friends for life and after filming every week for years, you have become like our family!"
Kelly also addressed circulating rumours about other reality shows. She laughed off suggestions she and Joe would enter I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, saying watching television does not feel equivalent to taking part in the jungle. She did, however, say she would welcome other opportunities with the BBC, adding, "This is me being nice in case they want us to be on Race Across The World."
During her TikTok update she reflected on the pair's experience on Gogglebox, saying it had been "a job watching TV and getting paid for it" and that the couple were grateful for the opportunity to represent Scotland on the show. Gogglebox has aired on Fridays on Channel 4 and is available to stream on channel4.com; Channel 4 and Studio Lambert have not commented on casting decisions beyond the show's promotional material.
Kelly's comments are the clearest public explanation yet for the couple's departure and underscore producers' stated goal of refreshing the series' format and line-up. Neither Kelly nor the show's producers have announced any confirmed future television projects for the pair.