Gogglebox actor Giles Wood has claimed that he used to kill birds when he was a youngster, adding that he felt ‘regret’ about his ‘beastliness’.
Giles and his wife, Mary Killen, have been on the Channel 4 show since 2015, and are considered one of the poshest families to take part in the reality show.
Giles allegedly speaks about the horrifying bird-shooting activity that he participated in as a ‘rite of passage’ in his new book, Country Life: A Story of Peaks and Troughs.
‘I did get an air rifle when I was about 12 and, having loved garden birds, I started shooting them,’ he penned.
‘According to the old school, this behaviour would be a very natural feature of adolescence.’
It was supposedly considered a “rite of passage” to “graduate from a catapult to an air rifle,” according to Giles.
‘I am not proud of my short-lived cruel streak. But at the time I wanted to show my skill in downing small birds – starlings, wood pigeons – and I even shot a blackbird in my garden,’ he stated.
‘Almost as soon as I had done it, I regretted it. It is just a stage of beastliness that boys go through.’
Gogglebox watchers were surprised earlier this year by an encounter between Giles and Mary on the show, when they clashed about the high street retailer Waitrose.
Fans of the show were surprised to hear Mary curse at her husband during the heated debate, especially given the topic of discussion.
While discussing her future on Gogglebox with Giles last year, Mary spoke up about the offers she’d gotten to be on other TV series.
‘People come up to us and say, “We love you on Gogglebox”. We get recognised even when we’re abroad,’ she said in December.
‘It’s happened in Italy, Belgium and Australia. It’s surprising. And it’s people from all walks of life.’
Assuring her most loyal fans, she added: ‘We have been offered other shows. But we’re happy with Gogglebox.’
Gogglebox returns on Friday at 9pm on Channel 4.
