Mathew Horne has addressed rumours he fell out with James Corden after being “silenced” on the subject.
The actor, who plays Gavin Shipman in Gavin and Stacey, the hit sitcom created by Corden and Ruth Jones, also said that “the flak” his co-star receives from other celebrities is based on “jealousy”.
Away from Gavin & Stacey, Horne and Corden had a collaborative partnership, fronting their own sketch show as well as 2009 film Lesbian Vampire Killers.
However, that same year, five years before Corden became big in America, hosting The Late Late Show and rubbing shoulders with the most famous stars in the world on the popular segment Carpool Karaoke, unverified claims circulated online that he had fallen out with Horne.
According to Horne, though, “this notion of us falling out wasn’t true” and the false narrative “imposed” on the pair “silenced” him when he wanted to publicly talk about his co-star and friend.
In a new interview ahead of the final ever Gavin & Stacey episode, which is set to air on Christmas Day, the actor said of the rumours: “I couldn’t really do anything about it. Because James then went off to the States, that was the narrative and however much I said that we didn’t fall out, no amount of protesting would have convinced people that it didn’t happen.”
He described the time as “hectic”, telling The Times: “I really don’t want any more hecticness and chaos in my life. I just want to be grateful and enjoy the things that I’m so fortunate to have, which is a really interesting, fun career and a beautiful family.
“Honestly, I’m sick of talking about 15 years of this. It sapped my energy at the time and it’s not important.”
But Horne added: “I think I’ve been silenced in discussing him because of this narrative that’s been imposed.”
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The actor said he feels “protective” of Corden when he sees him spoken about negatively by fellow stars; in recent years, he has been branded “the rudest celebrity” by Mel B and a serial name-dropper by Sharon Osbourne.
Horne continued: “The root of all of the flak that he takes – and it’s beyond flak – is jealousy. He is a phenomenally gifted actor and writer, and a brilliant working-class success story. So yeah, I am protective of him. But I think I’ve been silenced in discussing him because of this narrative that’s been imposed.”
Gavin & Stacey returns to BBC One on Christmas Day for a 90-minute special that will serve as the finale.