Gemma’s torment as Arg confesses only surgery may save him
Gemma Collins is left hurt as troubled on/off boyfriend James Argent snubs her while heaping praise on best pal Mark Wright for his support during his dangerous weight battle
He hailed his long-time friend Mark Wright as his “inspiration” last week, as he admitted to fans that he has an “eating disorder”. James “Arg” Argent also revealed that he’s considering gastric surgery to save his life, after reaching over 26st during the series of lockdowns over the past year – adding that he can now barely tie his own shoelaces.
After emotionally confessing that he “didn’t want to die” and saying an op was the only way he could lose weight, Arg praised TV presenter-turnedfitness trainer Mark, 34 – who arranged Arg’s last rehab stint in Thailand following his near-fatal overdose in 2019 – saying, “Mark is my inspiration. He’s got his life together, he’s fit and healthy, he’s got a gorgeous wife and a successful career. There’s no reason why I can’t achieve all of those things too when I’ve lost weight.”
TOUGH LOVE
However, the former TOWIE star failed to mention on/off girlfriend Gemma Collins, 40, in his interview, despite her having supported him through three rehab stints and making a life-saving call for an ambulance following his last overdose.
Arg, 33, recently celebrated his year-long sobriety from cocaine and alcohol addiction and, as Closer reported at the time, Gemma had hoped he’d mark the milestone with a wedding proposal.
But pals say his failure to acknowledge the support of his long-suffering ex – who has endured a traumatic start to the year with her dad, Alan, hospitalised with COVID-19 – has “really hurt” her.
A source says, “Gemma has been through torture as a result of Arg’s addiction over the past eight years. She was the one left picking up the pieces and supporting him through his darkest times.
“She’s still tormented by memories of what Arg put her though and felt the hurt all over again with his recent snub. Of course she’s happy he’s getting the help he needs, but his apparent disregard for her, even as a friend, while putting Mark on a pedestal yet again has left her feeling really hurt.”
After returning from rehab last year, Arg – who fuelled reconciliation rumours after being snapped with his ex in a restaurant in October – credited Gemma for saving his life with her “tough love” as he revealed how she “refused to cover up” his drug problems. He even vowed to marry and start a family with the Diva Forever star – who tragically suffered a miscarriage in July – last year, and said, “I really feel for Gemma because she’s had to go through so much.”
But their turbulent relationship came to an explosive end in
July following yet another war of words when he labelled her a “hippo” and a “fat f**k” in a slew of angry texts that she made public. He’d previously mocked her weight by saying she had “more rolls than Greggs”.
ADDICTION
And psychotherapist Noel McDermott warns that Arg’s addictive personality should spark alarm bells for Gemma.
He says, “All addiction damages the capacity for intimacy, and some relationships can end when the addict recovers.
“When it comes to Arg and Mark, comparing himself to anybody is a sure way to a relapse: compare and despair is a term we use. Good mental health advice across the board is do not compare your insides to somebody’s outsides. The only person you should compare yourself to is the person you used to be. Idolising Mark isn’t helping him, it’s doing the opposite.”
Noel adds, “But Arg has done well in giving up drugs and alcohol. It’s very common to meet people who replace one addiction with another. They just do the same, but in different ways. The relationship between food and alcoholism is well known. Overeating in men recovering from alcoholism is probably the biggest relapse that happens. They’ve ditched the alcohol, but they have just replaced it with food. I really empathise with Arg. Food is a lot more complicated than drugs. You can’t just advise people not to eat, they would die. Recognising that he has a problem and asking for help is a really important step.” By Lauren Hill-Roger
❛ IDOLISING MARK ISN’T HELPING ARG – IT’S DOING THE OPPOSITE ❜