Closer (UK)

Gemma’s millionair­e man in LA: “We message all the time”

Gemma Collins’ new BFF, Jason Oppenheim – the star of Selling Sunset – lifts the lid on their unlikely friendship

- By Louisa Barnett

He is arguably the only man to have left her begging for a job, as selfcoined diva Gemma Collins vowed to swap blow-dries in Brentwood for selling mansions in Hollywood, after touring some of LA’s most expensive homes with the millionair­e property mogul last year.

In scenes aired on her reality show Diva Forever, following her trip to California last summer, Gemma, 39, told Jason Oppenheim – star of hit Netflix series Selling Sunset and owner of the luxury real estate firm

The Oppenheim Group – “If you want a hot-shot seller, it’s me.”

HUGE SUCCESS

After viewing a string of luxury multi million-dollar pads in the Hollywood Hills alongside her pal Jonathan Cheban, who also happens to be Kim Kardashian’s BFF, former car-dealer Gemma bragged, “I’m telling you now, I could sell real estate. I’d sell five houses a week. They’d like me because I’m English. I’m a star and I’m just trying to find a new job in Hollywood.”

And Jason, 43 – whose A-list clients include the likes of Meryl Streep, Orlando Bloom and Nicole Scherzinge­r – tells Closer he would love to have

Gemma join his team of glamorous estate agents, whose dramatic personal lives combined with selling homes to the rich and famous have contribute­d to the show’s huge success.

“I’ve just been messaging her,” Jason tells us from his swanky offices on LA’s famous Sunset Strip, where much of the series is filmed.

After being interrupte­d by the constant stream of fans showing up at the door to have their picture taken with him and co-star Mary Fitzgerald, he continues, “Gemma’s been posting stories about me today and we’ve been chatting on Instagram. We message all the time.

“Her personalit­y is electric. I’d love to recruit her and I think she’d be great on the show.”

Last year, the outspoken star claimed she was moving to LA after insisting she was “sick” of British men following one of her many splits from James “Arg” Argent, 32.

STATESIDE PLANS

During her trip, the flamboyant star gushed, “Hollywood is the place dreams are made of. I’m moving here, I’m just in heaven – I’m never going back to England.

“This is where I’m going to make my fame and my fortune. We’re going to the Hollywood Walk of Fame – I hope you have my name there.”

But despite putting her Stateside plans on hold after reuniting with Arg a month later, Jason tells us Gemma is once again toying with the idea of making the move, after vowing to finally draw a line under her on/off eight-year relationsh­ip following their latest split in July. As Closer went to press, it was the longest time the pair have been apart since they got together a decade ago.

Jason adds, “We’ve certainly chatted about real estate, but I don’t know how serious she is. She’d be fun to have out here. She’d do really well. Gemma would be a huge success in LA, whatever she does – there’s no doubt about that.”

❛ HER PERSONALIT­Y IS ELECTRIC… SHE’D BE GREAT ON THE SHOW ❜

 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Gemma viewed a string
of luxury LA pads with pals Jonathan and Jason
Gemma viewed a string of luxury LA pads with pals Jonathan and Jason
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Property mogul Jason Oppenheim
Property mogul Jason Oppenheim

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