Gemma: “Arg is really broody, but I can’t get pregnant until I’m off the ice”
As Gemma Collins gears up for her upcoming Dancing On Ice debut, she reveals that her baby plans are on hold while she sets her sights on the skating crown
he’s shown off her dramatic S weight loss after just four weeks of training for her upcoming stint on Dancing On Ice, and Gemma Collins admits the show is now getting in the way of her baby plans.
Speaking exclusively to Closer, the 37-year-old reality star says, “Doing this show has really shaped me up. I’ve already lost a dress size. I’m not planning for a baby at the minute, but maybe after Dancing On Ice. I’m trying not to put pressure on myself, but I do want children.”
Gemma adds that boyfriend and former TOWIE co-star James “Arg” Argent is just as broody as her, especially after spending time with best pal Ferne Mccann’s one-year-old daughter, Sunday. She says, “He’s always with Ferne and Sunday. He came home the other day and said, ‘I’m getting really broody.’ I’m like, ‘Stay away from me until after I’ve done my ice skating! I can’t get pregnant until after that.’”
The couple, who’ve dubbed themselves the “Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton of Chigwell”, have had a famously volatile relationship, finally making their romance official last December, after dating on and off for seven years.
LOVED-UP
And as their one-year anniversary approaches, Gemma insists the pair are stronger than ever, and that despite some difficult hurdles – with Arg, 30, returning to rehab for a third time in August in a bid to cut back his party lifestyle – they are more loved-up than ever.
Gemma says, “Obviously I’ve put a lot of effort into helping James turn himself around, and with the dedication I’ve given him, he would be hard pushed to find that in another person. But it’s all great – he’s as good as gold.”
And while Gemma is clearly delighted with her recent weight loss, the couple have made no secret of their love of food, with the star telling Closer in the past how she and Arg “fuel each other”. And Gemma insists that despite being celebrities, the pair’s lifestyle is really down to earth.
“While we do have a showbiz life, at home, we’re very normal,” she says. “We wanted a curry the other night, so instead of going out for dinner, I cooked a homemade curry. He chilled out in front of the TV and I whipped one up – it’s all very normal stuff. We like to keep it like that.”
Closer has previously revealed how the couple were hoping to capitalise on their plus-size figures and secure a lucrative weight-loss deal. But now Gemma admits she’s reaping the benefits of training for Dancing On Ice, going from a size 20 to an 18.
“I’m really pleased I’ve lost weight. Normally, I’d be going to an event, saying, ‘Give me a pair of Spanx,’ but at the moment, everything is hanging off me. I feel really good – I’m using muscles that I never knew existed. I have fallen over on the ice loads of times,
‘I don’t care what anyone thinks of me’
but I’m not too bruised – yet. I’ve got quite a bit of cushioning on me, so it kind of helps! And the minute I fall, I get straight back up again. I’m not scared one bit. And I don’t care what anyone thinks of me – I’m doing it for myself.”
INTENSE TRAINING
And with the new series set to start in January, Gemma adds, “I’m training two-anda-half hours a day. It’s very, very intense, and despite reports saying that I don’t enjoy it, ice skating is absolutely fab. Am I in it to win it? I’ll try! Everyone thinks I’m really confident, but today on the ice, I did have a little cry because I’ve been trying so hard, and it is frustrating. I’ve got all these professional ice skaters doing twirls around me, and I want that to be me. But James is really supportive, and he’s cheering me on.”
And Gemma reveals that after months of house hunting, she and Arg – who last week revealed he’d fractured his shoulder after falling off his Vespa – will soon be moving into their dream home.
She says, “The house is all going through. Any moment now it will all happen – we’re just waiting for the final details. It’s very exciting. It would be my dream to be in by Christmas. I’m already looking at Christmas trees and wanting 27 reindeer on the roof. James is like, ‘Gemma, you’re getting too carried away!’”
But she reveals that what she really wants for Christmas is an engagement ring, insisting, “I want a yellow diamond, so we will just have to wait and see if it happens.”