‘We asked him to take part in this programme and he chose not to’
Gavlar and Smithie is one of the most iconic bromances in British sitcom history. For three series, viewers across the UK found themselves just as invested in their friendship as they were Gavin’s romance with Stacey.
But it’s well documented how, away from the screen, James Corden and Mathew Horne grew apart following Gavin & Stacey’s end.
It was the series that launched the pair of them to national fame, and to this day Gavin & Stacey remains one of the most loved British comedies of the 21st century, if not ever.
After it came to an end in 2010 though, rumours began to circulate that Corden and Horne had fallen out.
Appearing on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2019, Corden discussed this, admitting the pair had grown apart.
When asked by Morgan what the truth behind their relationship was, Corden said: “We never fell out, that was never what it was. We had such an intense love for each other, we were one person for a long time – and we had the best time.
“And the truth is, these things that were offered to us, we just rushed into them. If I have one regret it’s that we just rushed those things.”
He was left rocked though when host Morgan informed him that they had approached Horne to be a part of the episode and talk about his Gavin & Stacey co-star – but the actor had refused.
In a clip from the episode, Morgan asks: “What’s the situation now between you?”
Corden replies: “I love him, I love him” before Morgan then asks whether they “talk much.”
“Err, we talk occasionally, yeah,” Corden responds.
Morgan then says: “We asked him to take part in this programme and he chose not to.”
Taking a moment, a visibly-shocked Corden said: “I didn’t know that. But I can understand, I can understand why.”
He added that it was a “hard time to talk about” because it “didn’t end in the way it could have done.”
You can watch the whole segment below:
Horne himself has also denied that he ever fell out with Corden, and took issue with the way Morgan had portrayed his decision not to be interviewed for Life Stories.
He explained that the reason he couldn’t do the interview was because of a schedule clash, and his general dislike for Morgan and “everything he stands for.”
Speaking to the Times, he said: “That’s where the rumour that we’d fallen out started and it snowballed from there.
“I didn’t go on that show because I was filming out of London, and they could only film my interview on one day, and I couldn’t do it.
“The other reason is that I dislike Piers Morgan and everything he stands for.”
He continued: “The truth is that there was never any rift and everything is fine. James and I have always been friends and we always will be.
“I talk to him quite a bit given the time zones and it was great to see him and be acting with him again.”
And of course, since the Life Stories episode, the pair have worked together in the Gavin & Stacey 2019 Christmas Special.
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