Gogglebox's Giles Wood has admitted his split from Mary Killen allowed him a "stab at happiness", before they later embarked on their marriage. The pair, who reside in a quaint cottage in rural Wiltshire with their dog Merlin, have been wedded for over three decades. Their paths crossed in 1980 when Mary was working as a model and Giles was an art student in Wimbledon.
Mary admits that Giles wasn't her usual type, confessing she had a preference for "Johnny Depp types" while her future spouse "looked a bit like the Milkybar kid". Giles, a tile maker's son from Stoke-on-Trent, altered Mary's perception of him when he invited her to Ravenna - an Italian city renowned for its Christian church mosaics. In an interview with The Telegraph, Mary reveals that it was during this trip that she saw a "suave" side to Giles, as he began to flaunt his Italian skills.
Other girls on their coach to Venice also started to notice, with one remarking, "God, he is good-looking". Their relationship flourished and Giles eventually proposed, sending flowers to Mary at her workplace, Tatler Magazine, where she was a journalist. However, the couple briefly parted ways in 1985, a period which Mary said had a significant impact on Giles.
She recalled: "When we broke up in 1985 you suddenly became very competent; you got new, chic clothes and started working hard." To which Giles asked: "When I had a stab at happiness?" Before Mary retorted: "He had a stab at happiness in 1985." The couple eventually re.