Who is Gogglebox star Sandra Martin?

Everything you need to know about Sandra Martin

sandra-martin-gogglebox

by Louella Berryman |
Updated on

Sandra Martin, 59, made her TV debut on Channel 4 show Gogglebox back in 2013. She appeared on the show for four years before quitting in 2017.

Who is Sandra?

The star is from Brixton in South London and kept us all roaring with laughter with her hilarious commentary on the previous week's TV shows.

Sandra is well known for her raucous laughter and her bold sense of style.

She has a 24-year-old daughter called Chancez, who replaced pal Sandi Bogle on the Gogglebox sofa after she quit the show in 2016. She's also a grandma, but has no partner since splitting with her boyfriend Derek in 2015.

Sandra also set up her own jewellery business, Ringsandtings, in 2015.

Why did Sandra quit Gogglebox?

During a chat on This Morning in July 2017, Sandra announced she was quitting Gogglebox for good. Her news came just months after best friend Sandi announced her exit from the show.

Speaking to Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holme on the ITV chat show, she said: "I am going to miss it, but I decided at that time I wanted to move on to other things.

It's four and a half years now, and I'm just moving on, keeping up with the times."

She also admitted it wasn't quite the same filming without her best pal Sandi, and that there were "certain subjects" she couldn't discuss with her 24-year-old daughter Chancez, who joined her on the sofa after Sandi quit.

What did Sandra go to prison for?

Sandra went to prison for six months in 1984 for fraud. "It was a very long time ago and I deeply regret it," she told The Sun on Sunday.

Check out axed Gogglebox stars, then and now

Gallery

AXED Gogglebox stars: then and now

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CREDIT: Channel 4

The Moffatts then

Arguably the shows biggest export, Scarlett Moffatt has gone on to do some incredible things since leaving the show in 2016, winning I'm a Celeb and landing presenting roles on Extra Camp and Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

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CREDIT: Instagram

The Moffatts now

The rest of the family are still thick as thieves, as Scarlett's recent tribute to her dad Mark proves. After Scarlett gained celeb status, the whole family were axed, leaving Scarlett gutted – but they're certainly enjoying her celeb status, with "secret" little sister Ava making pals with Joe Swash's son Harry, and glitzy parties galore. The family also starred together with Scarlett's nan on a reality series called The Tribe Next Door in 2019, where they travelled to the Namibian desert to live with indigenous people of the area.

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CREDIT: Channel 4

The Tappers then

The Tappers were the super loud family of four from North London, but had their spot on Gogglebox rescinded after Amy's stint on Celebs Go Dating, due to the producers "no celebs" rule.

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CREDIT: Getty

The Tappers now

But despite returning to their day jobs the family are still as tight knit as ever, with Nikki and Jonathon recently celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary.Jonathon – a chauffer - has recently shed 3 and half stone and is almost unrecognisable from his Gogglebox days and son Josh is a budding politician.

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CREDIT: Channel 4

Sandi and Sandra then

Sandi first crashed onto our screens alongside best friend Sandra, with their incredible nails and plentiful takeaways, and had to deny claims they'd fallen out after Sandra seemingly made a dig at Sandi's 'celebrity' lifestyle after leaving the show.

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CREDIT: Twitter

Sandi now

She's since gone on to do a number of reality TV projects including CBB in 2017 and Famous and Fighting Crime last year, and is an aspiring soul singer.She's also thecousin of Naomi Campbell.

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CREDIT: Channel 4

Sandra and Chanchez then

Sandra decided to stay on the show for a time after Sandi left, and enlisted her daughter Chanchez to keep her company on the sofa.

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CREDIT: Twitter

Sandra now

Despite her fame and status as one of the most popular Goggleboxers ever, Sandra admitted to us last year that she was "broke" and moving into an over 55 home after being homeless for months. Last year she announced she would be getting married to her unnamed boyfriend, but from her social media still looks to be single.

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CREDIT: Channel 4

George Gilbey then

Another 'boxer deemed 'too sleb' for the sofa, George Gibley's time on Gogglebox came to an end after he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, coming fourth, and snogging celebrity ladies Stephanie Pratt AND Edele Lynch.

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CREDIT: Twitter

George Gilbey now

After a brief return to the show, George's life has taken a distinctly less glamorous turn, and last year narrowly avoiding prison when he was charged with trying to strangle his ex-girlfriend while their daughter slept upstairs.

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CREDIT: Channel 4

Steph and Dom then

Steph and Dom Parker are another Gogglebox family to have done very well for themselves since leaving the show in 2017. Their excellent comedic chemistry has landed them their own radio show on talkRadio, and they've hosted a number of telly shows, like 2014's Steph and Dom meet Nigel Farage.

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CREDIT: BBC

Steph and Dom now

But there's a serious side to the Sandwich dwelling, B&B owning couple, too. Earlier this year they hosted an investigative documentary looking into medical marijuana, as parents to severely epileptic son Max, 18.

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CREDIT: Channel 4

Mummy Pat then

Pat Webb is the mother of OG 'boxer Stephen Webb and temporarily stepped in to replaced his ex and friend Chris when he left in 2017 (more on that in a bit).

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CREDIT: Twitter

Mummy Pat now

We haven't seen much of Mummy Pat since she left the show, and viewers weren't happy to see her go, but she did rock a fascinator fabulously for Stephen's wedding to husband Daniel Lustig.

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CREDIT: Channel 4

Christopher Ashby-Steed then

Christopher Ashby-Steed joined Stephen Webb on the first EVER episode of Gogglebox in 2013. At first they were in a romantic relationship – but after they broke up, decided to continue working together on the show.

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CREDIT: Twitter

Christopher Ashby-Steed now

However, things eventually turned pretty sour between the two, and earlier this year Chris gave an interview with The Mirror where he claimed Stephen had "bullied" him off the show."A year on, I've finally had the courage to stand up to a bully and start to tell the story of how @Stephenwebb71 forced of off @C4Gogglebox and how it's affected my mental health since," he tweeted, adding that he'd received no mental health aftercare, which is an "industry-wide failing".He's found his happy ever after, though, wit a new husband.

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CREDIT: Channel 4

Leon and June then

Leon and June Bernicoff were the hilarious elderly couple who had us alternatively in stitches/tears from the first episode, up until Leon's tragic death in December 2017. Deciding not to continue on the show without her husband, June has largely stepped out of the limelight but occasionally gives interviews, and wrote a memoir about her 62 year marriage called Leon and June: Life, Love and Laughter – Our Story.

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CREDIT: ITV

Leon and June now

After leaving the show, June revealed to Graham Norton, "He hadn't been very well over the weekend, and I suggested he didn't do it."[But he said] 'I'm sitting here in my Christmas jumper waiting to entertain the nation!' Bit of a diva, really."June also passed away in 2020, less than three years after her husband.

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CREDIT: Channel 4

Silent Jay then

One of the most iconic Goggleboxers of all time, Silent Jay – AKA Jay Makin – gained legions of fans with his hilarious facial expressions. He was the boyfriend of Eve Woerdenweber, but left the show after they split.

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CREDIT: Instagram

Silent Jay now

After his departure in the show in 2015, Jay told The Sun, "I get recognised as that guy who never speaks — and most people get shocked by how much I talk. I am generally quite talkative."They just edit the bits where I talk out."

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The star recently revealed the sad news that she's lost five people to the coronavirus pandemic.

Both Sandra's sister-in-law and her sister-in-law's daughter have recently passed away from covid-19.

Speaking about her sister-in-law’s death, Sandra told Metro, “She did have underlying health issues before she passed away and my brother, who is now in self-isolation is absolutely devastated by it.

My friend’s dad died first, then my brother’s wife died, my uncle died and my good friend from Brixton died, it is all so tragic. What is going on?”

Stressing the importance of self-isolation, she continued, “People need to stay home, they aren’t listening. Children aren’t listening to their parents as they aren’t paying attention to the social distancing."

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