Gogglebox star Helena Worthington said she saw pantha-like ‘big cat’ on train to Todmorden

Helena Worthington, who is seen on the armchair critic show, with her mum Alison and dad George, made the claim in a segment about Expedition X, a programme in which American investigators looked into sightings of panther-like creatures in the English countryside.

Sightings of “catbeasts” have been reported across West Yorkshire since a man believed he filmed a big catin the Wakefield countryside in November 2022.

During the Expedition X segment on Gogglebox, Helena said: “I’ve seen it! On the train, going to Todmorden. I was on my own and there was a giant black cat walking across a field.

"I had to ring a friend and say ‘you’ll never guess what I’ve seen’”

Shortly after, in the same part of the programme Lee Riley, who watches TV for the show in Hull with best friend Jenny, also noted the apparent phenomenon in this part of the country.

He said: “Isn’t there that black panther in West Yorkshire?”

Since the video was filmed in Wakefield, witnesses reported sightings over the years in that area, as well as parts of Calderdale and Dewsbury.

Richard Strauss from Hipperholme shared his account.

He said: “I could have mistaken it for a housecat except its shoulders were the same height as the wall, which was waist height on me.

“Our dog went missing around that time and when we searched we found out farmers had been having sheep go missing and finding the carcasses so it was definitely hunting in the wild and possibly ate our dog.”

Simon Sykes said he saw a puma-like animal in North Kirklees.

He said: “I would say it was a black leopard or puma. It went across the road probably no more than 15 metres away from my car.

“This was in Briestfield around 4pm in full daylight. The animal was long in body and around the height of a labrador.”

Another sighting was reported at the Redbeck Motel in Crofton – a famous Wakefield cafe and motel that could soon be demolished.

Royal Mail worker Phil Chapman said: “It was just casually walking across the field.

“It was clearly not a domestic cat.”