Gemma’s joy as Arg tackles his drug demons
After Arg speaks out about his seven-year cocaine addiction and near-fatal overdoses, girlfriend Gemma Collins is hailed a hero by fans for helping him get clean and saving his life
Ahealthier and happier James “Arg” Argent spoke out about his severe battle with cocaine addiction last week, and showed just how far he’d come by revealing that after endless all-nighter drug binges and two overdoses last year, he’s now five months clean.
On top of that, the former TOWIE star, 32, showed off his impressive 5st weight loss – going from 23st to 18st over the last five months.
And Arg – who has admitted his cocaine addiction spanned seven years – credited his longterm girlfriend Gemma Collins for kick-starting his recovery, and said he was eternally grateful that she’d stopped at nothing to try to get him help. He admitted, “I really feel for Gemma because she has had to go through so much. When I was deep in my addiction, I would hate her. She refused to cover up for me. She refused to lie for me, she would never cover up or enable me to continue in my addiction.
PRAISE
“She gave me some tough love… Thank God she did, because if it wasn’t for Gemma calling the ambulances to my house, who knows what could have happened.”
Arg and Gemma, 39, have been dating on and off for nearly ten years – with the pair finally giving their romance a real go in 2017, after Arg split from girlfriend Lydia Bright.
But fans were left concerned over Arg’s weight gain during his relationship with Gemma, after he revealed he’d hit 24st – and some even blamed his relationship with plus-size star Gemma.
But after Arg’s comments last week, she received a surge of praise from fans for helping Arg. One wrote, “He’s lucky to have the GC”, while another posted,
“Good on Gemma”.
ROCK BOTTOM
Arg revealed his addiction first began in 2010 when he rose to fame on TOWIE. In 2014, he sparked panic when he went missing during a 24-hour secret drug binge, and was asked to leave the show later that year for failing a drugs test, prompting his first trip to rehab.
After another three trips to rehab, Arg says he hit rock bottom last October when he was rushed to hospital after overdosing during a three-day drug session, with Gemma calling the ambulance. He had another near-fatal overdose two months later, with Gemma calling the ambulance again when she couldn’t contact him.
But after a three-month stint in a Thai rehab facility – which Arg revealed best pal and “guardian angel” Mark Wright helped orchestrate – Arg seems on the up, regularly attending an out-patient facility and saying on Instagram last week, “I feel like me again now. I feel like I’m living again.”
He also revealed that he’d love to start a family with Gemma now that he’s clean, saying, “I want to get married and have children. But I know if I was to relapse again, Gemma has made it clear to me that she’s done everything that she possibly can. And you’ve got to remember that Gemma’s in her late thirties so she hasn’t got time to be mucking about any more.”
Gemma has long been open about her desire for marriage and babies with Arg, saying in the TOWIE Christmas special last year, “I feel very happy. I am ready for the next step. That is all I am waiting for in my life. I want to get engaged, I want to get married and I want to have a baby.”
While Gemma hasn’t commented publicly on Arg’s revelation, the star has gone from strength to strength in recent months.
Her recent reality show Diva In Lockdown was a success with viewers, while her In
The Style clothes range sold out in minutes. She’s also been showing off her recent 3st weight loss on her Instagram, telling fans that lockdown workouts and eating well have done her good.
Speaking recently about how she’s feeling, Gemma seems to be in a healthy and happy place too, recently posting, “I’ve never felt so good, loving having time to look after myself, time is priceless – no stress, just good vibes.”
SHE’S IN HER LATE THIRTIES SO SHE HASN’T GOT TIME TO BE MUCKING ABOUT ANY MORE