Mathew Horne responds to James Corden rift rumours ahead of Gavin & Stacey Christmas special

8 December 2019, 13:00 | Updated: 8 December 2019, 13:01

The actor, who plays Gavin in the much-loved series, has said the claims of a rift between himself and his co-star were 'made up'.

The Gavin & Stacey Christmas special is almost upon us, taking place on Christmas Day 2019 at 8.30pm.

As we prepare to see the cast on our screens again, talk has turned to whether James Corden (who plays Smithy) and Mathew Horne (who plays titular character Gavin Shipman) had to work to heal the apparent 'rift' between them.

However, according to the Daily Mail, who attended a special screening of the one-off festive show, when asked about the 'feud', Horne simple said claims were 'made up'.

However, the rumours of discord between them weren't totally unfounded.

The fictional characters, who hailed from Billericay, Essex were completely inseparable, and throughout the shows three series, so were the pair in real life.

READ MORE: Could Gavin and Stacey return for a full series after the Christmas special?

READ MORE: Russell Tovey reveals if he's back for Gavin and Stacey Christmas special

After the final Gavin & Stacey episode aired in 2010 on new year's day, the duo took part in a string of badly-received projects such as Horne & Corden and the 2009 film Lesbian Vampire Killers, before seeming to go their separate ways.

Mathew Horne has since become a star of the small screen and James Corden has gone on to Hollywood fame - becoming a famous Late Late Show host, a Tony Award presenter and of course the creator of Carpool Karaoke.

Back in 2016, Mathew Horne told The Mirror about their rumoured conflict: "James remains a friend and never wasn’t a friend.

"We have remained friends ever since we met. We have done various bits of work together and now we are both off doing other things."

However, according The Mirror, the Agatha Raisin actor has recently talked about healing the distance between them, saying: "It's a relief for me and James that we didn’t need to do anything”.

However, Corden hinted at a sadness that they weren't as close anymore during Piers Morgan's Life Stories earlier this year.

READ MORE: Sheridan Smith won't be returning for the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special

James Corden Discusses the End of His Friendship With Matt Horne | Piers Morgan's Life Stories

Meanwhile, Ruth Jones has discussed the possibility of Gavin & Stacey returning for a full series after 10 years.

According to the Radio Times, speaking at a recent screening of the upcoming special, co-creator Ruth Jones mused: "I think obviously there is room for it to move on, so all I’m going to say now is, who knows?"

However, the actress and writer - who also stars as Nessa in the much-loved series - maintained there was nothing in the works, not even ideas scribbled on "Post-it notes".

"Honestly, hand on heart – at the moment, there is no plan,” she told the crowd.

“There have been no Post-it notes, there has been no sitting in a room mapping out another episode.”