Closer (UK)

Why brave Gemma won’t give up her baby dream – with or without Arg

● Gemma Collins bravely opens up about her traumatic miscarriag­e suffered during lockdown ● The revelation came after she’d previously told fans how she’d lost a baby in 2012 ● Courageous Gemma is now determined to do whatever it takes to become a mothe

- By Daisy McLure

Refusing to break down in tears despite her personal pain, last week Gemma Collins dropped her diva act to bravely show her more vulnerable side as she revealed she’d suffered a heartbreak­ing miscarriag­e during lockdown.

During an appearance on Loose Women, Gemma, 39 – who suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome, which can affect fertility and increase the risk of complicati­ons in pregnancy – admitted there had been “a lot of pain” and she’d initially mistaken her miscarriag­e for a heavy period.

She said, “I realised that it just wasn’t normal and I was getting through about ten thick sanitary towels a day. My doctor said that I had to go into the hospital immediatel­y… I desperatel­y want to be a mum.”

It’s a sentiment she’s often expressed. Earlier this year, Gemma spoke of her excitement about becoming a mother in her forties, saying, “I would love to have a child… In my forties, I’d love everybody to see the GC walking around with a pram.”

TRAUMATISI­NG

But her journey to motherhood has been tinged with sadness. She had an abortion in her twenties and, in 2012, tragically miscarried while in a five-year relationsh­ip with a city banker. Speaking about the ordeal, she later said, “I actually gave birth to a child, sadly, and basically the child was four months old… I had a miscarriag­e. I’ll never forget it. It was a very traumatisi­ng experience. I didn’t know I was pregnant because I have polycystic ovaries.”

To make matters worse, Gemma’s on/off nine-year relationsh­ip with James “Arg” Argent has been left in doubt after being plagued with endless bitter splits – the latest of which happened after he cruelly branded her a “hippo” and a

“fat f**k”. Gemma seemingly apologised

to Arg – who credited Gemma’s “tough love” for saving his life after his latest rehab stint and who vowed to start a family with her – for sharing his abusive messages.

But last week, she got the rumour mill turning after posing with a string of mystery men while on holiday in Greece, posting one picture with a male pal on Instagram Stories, writing alongside, “I love you baby.”

The former TOWIE star – who is reportedly planning a breast reduction – also seemed to use the break as a chance to show Arg what he was missing, provocativ­ely posing topless and showing off her 3st weight loss in revealing outfits.

And Gemma revealed she plans to lose even more weight to improve her chances of conceiving naturally. During the TV interview last week, she said, “I saw a top specialist… He said to me, ‘You need to get your weight down, you need to get at least another 2st off.’”

SUCCESS

Last week, she began filming the latest series of her reality show, Diva Out Of Lockdown, upon returning to the UK – part of her new £250k deal, which recently made her ITVBe’s highest-paid star.

The self-coined GC’s unstoppabl­e success was given another boost when fans launched a petition for their idol to replace shamed US chatshow host Ellen DeGeneres, whose £40m-ayear job hung in the balance amid a series of damning allegation­s she mistreated staff. Reports claimed last week that Ellen’s show – which is hugely popular in America and is shown on ITV2 in the UK – had the lowest-ever viewing figures recently.

Sharing the petition on her Instagram stories, the star was clearly flattered as almost 400 fans campaigned on Change. org for ITV2 to give Gemma the 62-year-old Hollywood presenter’s daytime slot.

It follows Gemma’s phenomenal success, which has skyrockete­d this year. In May, she raked in a record £100k in one day via sales of her meme sweatshirt­s and stormed the podcast charts, landing a number one spot, and has been hotly tipped for the US version of Strictly Come Dancing.

But despite all of her achievemen­ts, when asked by Loose Women co-host

Nadia Sawalha if she’d give up everything – including fame – to have children, Gemma replied, “Absolutely. I’d swap it all in an instant.”

CONSIDERIN­G OPTIONS

She added, “I pray every night that everything is going to work out for me. I’ve been quite lucky with my career, but my personal life is heartbreak­ing. Having a miscarriag­e with someone you love very much was very heartbreak­ing.”

In 2017, Gemma told Closer she’d had a consultati­on about freezing her eggs, saying, “I’ve not met the man of my dreams yet and I’m feeling the pressure, so I’ve had a consultati­on and I’m freezing my eggs.” Speaking about her love life in her podcast last week Gemma said, “If I can’t meet anyone soon, I’ll go and get a robot.”

And last week, she revealed she didn’t want motherhood “robbed” from her and was considerin­g all her options. In addition to conceiving naturally, she is open to using a sperm donor and adopting.

She said, “My lovely gay besties have all put themselves up for the job of being my sperm donor.” She added, “I’ve got my nephews and I treat them like they’re my own but I have no qualms about going down the donor route. There are so many options, like adoption – Madonna’s done it, Angelina Jolie, maybe the GC is next. But I am holding on to the dream that I can conceive naturally.”

I’VE BEEN QUITE LUCKY WITH MY CAREER BUT MYPERSONAL LIFE IS HEARTBREAK­ING

 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? She was interviewe­d on Loose Women
She was interviewe­d on Loose Women
 ??  ?? She posted this snap with a mystery man
She posted this snap with a mystery man
 ??  ?? Arg sent her abusive
messages
Arg sent her abusive messages
 ??  ?? She posted empowering pictures on Instagram
She posted empowering pictures on Instagram
 ??  ?? A petition called for Gemma to replace
Ellen DeGeneres
A petition called for Gemma to replace Ellen DeGeneres
 ??  ??

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