Gemma Collins: ‘It’s really hard to
Straight talking, good-humoured Gemma Collins doesn’t disappoint when best meets her. ‘Make me look fabulous!’ she declares to the make-up artist charged with getting the TOWIE cast member camera-ready.
Romford-born Gem, 37, may have hooked up with classic car importer Laurence Hearn, 52, on E4 series Celebs Go Dating but, a little awkwardly, she confessed on Loose Women recently – with Laurence in the audience – that, although the couple had become great friends, in an ideal world she wants to go back to her ex, James ‘Arg’ Argent, 30!
Here the GC talks love, plus-size clothes and her plans for a Stateside takeover…
Gemma, can you fall in love with a guy, when you’re in love with another – naming no names?!
You can fall in love any time with anyone, I think. That’s the magic of love. You never know when it will happen and it usually happens when you least expect it. I’ve got a real habit of pushing people away. Being in the public eye, you have to be careful who you let in. ‘Do they want me because I’m famous?’ I’ve been very hurt before, in abusive relationships – you’d naturally be defensive, too. I know there’s been the Arg thing, but I’ve been with him on-andoff for six years and he hasn’t asked me to be his girlfriend so I was like, ‘Sod it, let’s do this.’ It’s a really hard process, trying to find your soulmate.
Which famous man would you love to date?
Oh, The Rock [Dwayne Johnson]. I’m obsessed with him. Just before Christmas I was feeling a bit poorly, so I watched the recent Baywatch film. Within the first 10 minutes, I was like ‘ Who is this Rock?’ I started googling his name, his life, his history, and when I saw that Davina McCall wanted him, I was like, ‘Nah, nah, NAH, I’ve got my eyes on him.’ Davina, step out of the way, The Rock is mine b***h, get your hands off!
You’ve been posting gorgeous bikini selfies, have you lost weight?
I’ve been off my food, because I’ve had a lot of stress recently – I’ve got such tight filming schedules. I’ve been to America filming and couldn’t publicise that because I was in a strict contract with Netflix [Gemma has landed a job managing social media campaigns for Orange Is The
New Black]. My feet haven’t touched the ground! Before I’d think, ‘ What will I have for breakfast, lunch and dinner?’ Now I’m up, out and about. I’ve also been thinking about everything I’m putting in my mouth. Previously, if I was really busy, I’d grab sandwiches and now I’m trying to eat meat, fish and salads. I used to really enjoy my food whereas now, because I’m so busy, I haven’t really got time for it.
Are you not drinking alcohol, either?
I’ve never been a big boozer. I’m not interested in alcohol at all, so if I go out to dinner, I’ll have a glass of wine but I don’t fantasise about drinking. I used to be a brandy drinker but I don’t drink that any more, because it’s too sugary. I’ve been on the gin and slimline tonics but, again, I’ll only have one or two because I’m not a drinker.
What’s next for the GC?
I don’t know what more I could possibly want, to be honest! I’ve hit so many personal goals. I am planning to take my plus-size fashion collection to America later this year. They’ve got plus sizes there, but not enough.
You might not be plus-size for much longer...
I’ll always be a size 14-16 and I can still help women, because when you’re plus-size, you can’t get the clothes. It’s a passion of mine – sometimes, it’s good to step back and keep doing your passions in life.
Celebs Go Dating series 4 is available on All 4 until 31 March