Silent Jay, a beloved star from Channel 4’s Gogglebox, has undergone a major transformation since leaving the show over a decade ago
Gogglebox’s ‘Silent Jay’ was a firm favourite before his departure over 10 years ago – but where is he now? The TV star joined the Channel 4 show in 2013 with the Woerdenweber family: Viv, her German husband Ralf, daughter Eve, and Eve’s boyfriend Jay.
They were one of the original families on the programme and became a hit with fans thanks to their hilarious insights into the week’s television.
As for Jay, he was given the nickname ‘Silent Jay’ due to him hardly ever saying a word while being featured on screen. Talking in 2014 about Jay, Viv said: “He’s not a very vocal person anyway, he tends to watch the TV in his own little world.
“I think he was a bit camera shy on the first couple of episodes and didn’t say anything, then people caught on, so now I think he thinks he might as well stick with it. He’s become a legend in his own lunchtime!”
In 2015, though, Eve and Jay split, leading to Jay’s departure from Gogglebox. As for the rest of his former co-stars, the Woerdenweber clan remained on screen until 2020.
Nowadays, Jay looks totally different and even lives miles away from the Wirral as he resides abroad. He is now based in Rotterdam and has also adopted a completely new appearance.
Jay opted to shed the longer hairstyle he sported during his time on the programme in favour of a much shorter style. His Instagram profile, which remains private, states in the bio: “33 [peace sign emoji]. From Liverpool, living in Rotterdam.”
His X bio similarly states: “33 [peace sign emoji] [location emoji] Rotterdam [Netherlands flag]. Make every second devine [music notes emoji]. #Gogglebox series 2-5.”
The main reason the Woerdenweber family left the show was the impact of COVID, as they couldn’t be filmed and their daughter, Eve, was living in a separate household. Around the same time, Eve started working as a teacher and was studying for a PhD.
Viv – who recently graduated from the University of Liverpool with an MA in Archaeology – found studying and life to be things that held the family back from continuing their Gogglebox journey together, saying, “It was an awful lot to deal with.”
The family spoke fondly about their time on the show, calling it a really good experience and one that brought them a lot of laughs. They shared that the crew would always offer takeaway and would bring sweet treats with them, including donuts.
Gogglebox airs every Friday at 9pm on Channel 4.
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