When siblings Tim and Leanne Lai joined Googlebox in 2019, they were candid when it came to preparing fans for what to expect.
“We’re as obnoxiously opinionated as each other,” Tim told our sister publication TV Week when their casting was first announced.
“Often we land on the same spot, but there have been instances where we vehemently disagree and sibling rivalry rears its ugly head!
“We’re highly animated and opinionated,” Tim went on, “so expect us to be screaming at the screen – or tearing up at the drop of a hat!”
The animation and strong opinions have certainly made for great viewing over the years, with the Asian-Australian Melbourne-based duo becoming fan favourites.
But the pair have also spoken openly about the dark side of fame, having been on the receiving end of shocking and often racist messages, which led Leanne to quit social media.
Tim and Leanne’s struggle
“Words are weapons,” Tim, who is openly gay, wrote in an emotional statement on Instagram in April 2021, sharing a screenshot of a particularly ugly comment they’d received.
“This is the reason I now fully manage our IG and FB. This is why Leanne has quit social media.
“How much hurt and trauma must someone have gone through for them to lash out at someone because of the colour of their skin, because of who they love, because of wanting to live their authentic self?”
Tim elaborated further in an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle.
“I know people are scared, people are hurting…people need better ways to approach their trauma. Lashing out isn’t the way,” the reality star said.
“I posted that story not to create any waves, but rather to show insight into some of the difficulties we experience. I have pretty tough skin and sadly am used to it as I’ve experienced it my whole life.
“I allowed the normalisation of racism. I don’t agree with ‘an eye for an eye’ but I am also going to call discrimination and hatred out. I will keep promoting tolerance and togetherness so that the next generation won’t have to.”
Indeed, both Tim and Leanne – who is also a big advocate for LGBTQ+ rights – have since used their public platform to champion diversity.
How old is Tim from Gogglebox?
Speaking to the Joy Breakfast podcast in April 2024, Tim – who at age 47 and 11 years his sister’s senior – said both he and she were authentically themselves on TV.
“We’re not produced, we’re not told what to say. I think being able to turn your TV on and hopefully see a reflection of yourself in us, I think that’s one thing growing up in the noughties and the nineties, there really wasn’t any representation,” he said.
In the same interview, Tim shared the story of coming out to his mother.
“Growing up, my parents and my grandparents kind of instilled in me ‘you’re the first-born son’ and not just the first-born son but ‘you’re the first born of your generation’,” he divulged.
“So I had this entire family expectation on me, so I created this painful narrative in my head saying ‘Tim, you have to marry a woman, you have to have children, you then have to support your parents, and you have to do all this’, and it was this entire world weight on my shoulders. I think it crushed me.”
Tim said he originally came out to his mum after she picked him up from ballroom dancing class one day.
“We were arguing, and I actually came out to her thinking that it would hurt her. It would actually create pain in her heart,” he admitted.
“But the reality was she came back and said ‘Tim, I’m your mother. I’ve known since you were nine [that] you’re gay. If you think this is going to hurt me, try again’.”
“My mum is so sassy. That’s where I get it from, and that’s where Leanne gets it from,” he revealed.
Is Tim from Gogglebox married?
In June 2024, Tim married his partner of 25 years, Mark, 49, at the historic Old Melbourne Gaol. Two more celebrations – in Penang, Malaysia, and Edinburgh, Scotland- followed.
“It was an incredible fairy tale wedding. Everyone told us that marriage is like a life sentence, so we figured, why not get married in Melbourne’s oldest gaol?” Tim quipped in an interview with QNews.
“For us to actually now be to be together and have it be legally recognised is the most amazing thing.
“I’ve got friends from and family from Malaysia who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Unfortunately, they’re not allowed to live their authentic selves,” Tim went on. “They were blown away that we can publicly get married and show our love for each other.”
Tim also opened up to our sister publication Woman’s Day, about what marriage meant to him.
“We’ve been together for so long, we’ve been through so much. We own a house, we’ve got fur-children. But the reality was, it does feel so vastly different,” said. “There’s been this seismic shift – we’re more in touch than ever.”
What does Tim from Gogglebox do for a living?
Today, Tim and Mark live together in Melbourne, where Tim works as a retail technology consultant.
His sister, who runs her own signage design business, lives in an apartment with her partner and two Chihuahuas.
In August 2024, it was reported that Leanne was also engaged to be married, but she hasn’t publicly shared details about her partner.
Read more about the stars of Gogglebox below:
- Inside Gogglebox’s Sarah Marie and Matty Fahd’s adorable family
- You won’t believe why Milo and Nic almost turned down the opportunity to star on Gogglebox
- Everything we know about Faya and Anastasia’s hilarious and heartwarming friendship
- How Gogglebox’s Adam was “lost” until he met his wife Rachel
- Inside Gogglebox stars Lee and Keith’s 40 year marriage
- From day jobs to wedding bells: Meet Gogglebox’s Delpechitra family
