Gogglebox’s Jenny Newby and Mary Killen fight back tears as they react to Prince Philip’s death

Gogglebox’s Jenny Newby and Mary Killen broke down in tears as they reacted to Prince Philip’s death on Friday’s show. 

The Duke of Edinburgh passed away at Windsor Castle aged 99 on Friday 9 April Buckingham Palace announced. 

The stars of the Channel 4 show became overwhelmed with emotion as they watched a BBC report announcing Prince Philip’s death. 

Jenny, 65, sobbed as she watched bulletin before her friend Lee Riley, 51, comforted her by joking he ‘I’ll let you off this time, you can cry’. 

She said of the Duke’s passing: ‘I don’t know what to say, I think it’s the first time I’ve been lost for words.’

Jenny later said in the programme: ‘I don’t think he’d want us to mourn him’, before adding: ‘I’ve got snot coming out of my nose’. 

Meanwhile, Mary, 68, was consoled by her husband Charles as she spoke about the Queen.

She said: ‘She vowed for all her life she would serve her people and that’s what she’s done and he helped her’, before breaking down in tears. 

Charles said: ‘He’s helped her and he’s been a very good example to men like me, helping you’.

The couple later changed into black clothing and said they had been in mourning.  

Shirley Griffiths was also moved as a photograph of the Duke in his military uniform appeared on screen and said through a cracked voice that he ‘reminds me of my grandfather’.   

Gogglebox divided fans last week as it continued to air, despite all other channels pulling their scheduled programmes to broadcast tributes for Prince Philip. 

However, the BBC received nearly 110,000 complaints about the amount of coverage it gave to Philip’s death, and it is believed to be the record for complaints in British television history.

The BBC cleared its schedules last Friday, the day of the Duke’s death, to simulcast special programmes on BBC One and BBC Two, with episodes of shows such as MasterChef and EastEnders dropped from that day’s TV guide.

After the duke’s death, viewers tuning into BBC Four were greeted with a message urging them to switch over for a ‘major news report’ while BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live also aired programmes about the duke.

The BBC said in a statement: ‘The passing of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was a significant event which generated a lot of interest both nationally and internationally.

‘We acknowledge some viewers were unhappy with the level of coverage given and impact this had on the billed TV and radio schedules.

‘We do not make such changes without careful consideration and the decisions made reflect the role the BBC plays as the national broadcaster during moments of national significance.

‘We are grateful for all feedback and we always listen to the response from our audiences.’  

The Duke Of Edinburgh’s funeral is set to take place on Saturday.