MARRIED At First Sight star Georges Berthonneau has revealed what really happens at the explosive dinner parties.

The online coach, who wed Peggy Lawrence in last year’s series, said the boozy group gatherings start at 11am in the morning and can go on for several hours.

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Georges claimed that producers give them “fake champagne” which is actually prosecco – saying “it’s all a facade, it’s all smoke and mirrors”.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Georges said: “They want it to kind of get out of control, but they don’t want people to get too drunk.

“They used to have a tally chart, so we’d have our pictures, you know the cast sheet, and everyone would have a line by their name
and as one person gets a little bit too drunk, they start to decrease the alcohol on the table.

“So they do regulate it, like fair play to them.

“But then you’ve got to remember we’re up at 6am, and we’re home by one in the morning, so it’s like a full day of filming.

“The mixers start as early as 11 o’clock.

“You’re drinking fake champagne, you know.

“They’re labeling it champagne, and it’s prosecco. It’s all a facade. It’s all smoke and mirrors. There’s no truth to it.

“And again, you don’t know who’s playing a game.”

Georges explained that there were some two-faced contestants on his series – who would try and steal the limelight.

“Normally, the ones that are trying to play a game because they’re trying to take the heat off themselves,” he continued.

“You know, we used to have a few people do that.

“They used to try and diffuse situations before you went on camera and stuff, which in my eyes is the right way to do it, but then, why are you trying to hide?”

It comes after Georges told The Sun that the show is “pantomime” and its producers are “magicians” due to the way the show is edited.

He claimed claims there are four different edits per couple on the programme enabling bosses to manipulate storylines.

It means a bride or groom can be painted in one light in an episode, before undergoing a dramatic change in the next, something which was evident with Georges last year.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, he said: “There is not one edit of the show. There are four potential edits depending on the crowd’s reaction at the time.

“These people are absolutely magicians and wizards when it comes to editing footage.”

In the current series, groom Caspar Todd came under fire on his wedding day and honeymoon for ‘body-shaming’ wife Emma Barnes.

He stunned viewers when he remarked he didn’t find her sexy and “doesn’t usually go for curvy women”.

Georges predicts there’s likely a different side to Caspar that viewers have yet to see, which might pave the way for a redemption arc.

He said: “What happens is Caspar might have actually said some really lovely things about Emma on the day, but they just edited them out.”

Georges’ narrative changed dramatically over the course of his series. He began the series as a bit of a jester who was fixated on fake boobs, before his more mature, sensitive side was introduced.

“It’s a pantomime, we already they already know the ending,” he said. “I think if you’d solely looked at my wedding day you’d go this guy doesn’t make it past week two.

“But then you watch episode two of me and my honeymoon, and all of a sudden everyone’s like, ‘Oh, this guy’s not actually so bad. He’s just a bit immature at times. He’s a bit laughy jokey. He’s a bit say it, think it, catch it, kill it, bin it,’ and the table’s turned.”

A side effect of this selective editing is overzealous viewers sometimes develop an irrational hatred for cast members.

As a result social media inboxes can quickly fill up with vitriolic messages.

Georges took the fallout from his series in his stride, but warned trolls that they’re likely to end up with egg on their face if they act without knowing the full story.

“I think people are too quick to judge, but then they’re entitled to do what they want,” he said. “If Doris wants to go on Facebook and and smash up the forums and be like, ‘Georges is a d**khead.

“He spoke about boobies, and he spoke about this, he spoke about that’, whatever, that’s fine. You’re entitled to have your life in your opinion.”

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Alison Steadman has revealed the scene that convinced her to sign on to the hit sitcom Gavin and Stacey, in which she starred as Gavin’s neurotic mum Pamela.

The 78-year-old actor has reflected on receiving the script for the hit sitcom in 2006 and immediately hearing Pam’s Essex accent when she read the lines.

Steadman revealed it was Pam’s first-ever scene when she’s lounging on the sofa with cucumber slices over her eyes, as she recovers from watching a tear-jerking wildlife programme, that made her fall for the character.

“I could hear the voice, and it just clicked with me,” Steadman toldThe Sunday Times. “She’s lying on the couch with cucumbers on her eyes. Gavin comes in and says, ‘You all right, Mum?’ and she says, ‘I’m not actually. I’ve been crying all afternoon, I’ve been watching this programme, this mother badger was crying because her babies had died.’ ‘Mum, badgers don’t cry.’ ‘Gavin, I know what I saw.’”

Steadman said that scene made her think: “I’ve got to do this.”

The Life is Sweet actor went on to portray Pam, known lovingly as “Three Steaks Pam” to avid viewers, alongside her on-screen husband Mick (Larry Lamb) until the series ended in 2010.

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Writing about Gavin and Stacey in her new memoir, Out of Character, Steadman wrote that “Pam, aka Pammalarr, was a gift of a part for me”.

“It wasn’t until I did a chemistry test with Larry Lamb that I knew who’d be playing her husband, Mick. The scene that we had to do together is one of my favourites from the first episode, let’s just call it the Three Steaks Pam scene.”

In the scene, Pam has three steaks on her plate as part of her Atkins diet plan and explains to a perplexed Mick and Gavin that one is the actual steak and the other two are substitutes for chips and peas.

“Larry and I had such a laugh, we were easy company with each other and all of us knew this was a relationship that would work on and off screen. We had worked together years before and had become friends.”

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Steadman also listed some of her favourite silly one-liners that Pam says in the series, such as “What you said then was really boring, I switched off after banana” to Stacey; “You’re a leek-munching sheep sh*****” to Stacey’s mum Gwen and, “My little prince, you’re the victim of a victimisation” to Gavin.

She added: “Then there’s the phrases that are in her DNA such as ‘Oh, my Christ’ and ‘You and me are going to fall out today, Mick, Michael.’”

Created by James Corden and Ruth Jones, the series stars Mathew Horne and Joanna Page as Gavin and Stacey, an Essex boy from Billericay and a Welsh girl from Barry Island, who fall in love from afar, and tracks how their families unite as their romance develops.

Gavin and Stacey will be returning for one final episode on Christmas Day, which will mark the official finale for the series.

It will pick up after the 2019 Christmas finale, which saw Nessa and Smithy’s long-running love-hate relationship hit its climax as Nessa declared her love for Smithy, before proposing to him.

Fans have been waiting nearly five years for Smithy’s response, since the episode ended before he had the chance to reply.

STRICTLY fans are convinced they’ve spotted a secret feud between two judges after last night’s show.

Some have called head judge Shirley Ballas, 64, out for constantly interrupting fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood, 59.

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BBC viewers branded the habit “annoying” and begged producers to step in.

One fan pointed out: “Shirley is getting irritating, some producer needs to tell her to stop interrupting Craig…the drama should be on the dancefloor not on the judges panel.”

A second echoed: “There’s banter and there’s shouting down. I know the difference even if you don’t.”

“The petty bickering is really annoying,” a third said.

Another fumed: “Can Shirley pls stop interrupting Craig (especially when he’s right) just let the man speak.”

While another begged: “CRAIG AND SHIRLEY CALM DOWN GUYS -HELP?”

During last night’s second live, Shirley was spotted cutting off Craig while he gave the contestants his feedback.

She quickly interjected when Craig told Welsh opera singer that there weren’t many “heel leads” during his routine.

Shirley fired back and said: “That is not true,” to which Craig told her: “You can’t deny it, you’re sugar coating it.”

But Shirley replied: ” I am denying it. That’s not true.”

The pair were taking swipes at each other throughout the show and again clashed over Jamie Borthwick’s dance.

Craig told the EastEnders star: “I felt it lacked connection, I felt it lacked an emotional connection between both of you.

“It felt like you were dancing by numbers. OK, you’re thinking about the dance and every move you are doing but actually didn’t lift from the space at all.

“I felt like you didn’t lift from the space at all. I felt like we lost story and everything about what a rumba is about.”

Craig’s feedback was met by a sea of boos from the audience.

Shirley was quick to jump in and said: “He needs to start somewhere with a good fundamental,” to which Craig replied: “I get that.”

She went on: “It had emotion, I like it when it is really calm.”

The other judges struggled to get a word in, with Motsi Mabuse screaming: “May I speak now?”

Elsewhere in the competition, Love Island‘s Tasha Ghouri added fuel to the ‘fix’ claims as she broke show record.

The reality star wowed the judges with her Viennese waltz on week two of the competition.

The former ITV2 personality has previously come under fire due to claims she had previous “professional training”.

Shirley and Motsi gave Tasha and her partner Aljaž Škorjanec a standing ovation after their routine.

Three of the judges – including Craig Revel Horwood – called her routine the “dance of the night and scored a total of 35.

Claudia Winkleman also revealed that it was the highest ever score of a Viennese waltz in week two in Strictly Come Dancing history.

Viewers couldn’t help but take to X – formerly known as Twitter – as they declared that she had already earned her spot in the final.

“Three 9’s in week 2???? tasha is a force to be reckoned with,” wrote one fan.

A second user posted: “Tasha’s cinched her way to the final. Like give her the 10’s right now.”

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