Gemma Collins
Gemma Collins on her festive diva demands, her unexpected gift for boyfriend James Argent and what 2020 has in store
Tis the season for giving – so in the spirit of special, extravagant, money-can’tbuy festive gifts, may we present our exclusive photo shoot with the most talked about, controversial, polarising celeb on the planet… The GC!
Yep, this year Gemma Collins has welcomed us into her gorgeous new home, decorated as you’d expect with pink glitter, pink fluff and a giant pink gorilla, to share her big plans for Christmas and beyond.
And the 38-year-old certainly has a lot to celebrate, as there’s no question 2019 was her biggest year yet. Not only did she launch her podcast, which was immediately a huge hit for the BBC, she also got her skates on for Dancing On Ice (twice), starred in the TOWIE Christmas special and, of course, she debuted her very own ITV reality series, Diva Forever, to highly impressive ratings.
It’s also been a big year for Gemma’s love life. Despite her on-off relationship with James Argent appearing to be very much off just a few months ago, when we meet at her lovely little barn house in the middle of the countryside, it’s very much back on. No subject is off limits, including marriage, babies and the whacking great big diamond she’s expecting under the tree.
However, just weeks before Christmas Day, Arg, 32, was taken to hospital amid fears he’d suffered a drug overdose. When we sit down with Gem, she waxes lyrical about their relationship during our chat, so it’s clear there’s a lot of love between the pair.
So what’s next for them? Well, if Gem has her way it’ll be a huge wedding and starting the family she’s always dreamed of. But then there’s also the matter of her hectic schedule, with 2020 looking busier than ever. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” she tell us proudly, as she spends the majority of our interview getting distracted by various business queries.
At numerous points in the chat she’s on the phone to different celebs or acquaintances and it’s hard to keep her attention for long. Despite the fact she’s completely unapologetic about this, it’s impossible to dislike her.
And of course, in true diva style, it takes almost four hours to do her hair and make-up for the shoot, to ensure her look is up to her high standards.
“I’m organised and I’m a perfectionist,” she tells us. “I want things done right. I’ve been in this business for 10 years
– I know what works for me.”
And just like that, with her face and frock on, The GC has arrived.
“I want Christmas music!” she yells across her living room, causing one poor member of the team to scramble about on the remote to find a festive channel.
“Let’s get the lighting right, people!” she screams as our seasoned photographer sets up. “Let’s make this the greatest Christmas shoot in the history of mags!” You’ve got to love her.
Here, Gem tells us what she’s got in store over the holidays, why she couldn’t bear to have a “boring” baby with
Arg and the truth about double dating with
Mark Wright and Michelle
Keegan…
So, Gem, are you ready for the big day?
Am I ever! I started my shopping at the beginning of
November. I was done and dusted by the start of December, honey! Impressive. What can your friends and family expect under the Christmas tree?
Oh, there’s no budget. I’m a big spender and I’m making sure everyone has at least one decent thing. There are some amazing bits about at the moment. You can get a really nice pair of Gucci earrings, which is a typical GC gift, for a couple of hundred quid. I’ve already bought my mum a Diptyque candle advent calendar. It was expensive but she was over the moon with it.
I’m overly generous, me.
Got some cash to splash, then?
I walk around like I’m a billionaire. I believe in the universe, I never worry about money and that’s why money comes to me. Whatever you give in life comes back to you, do you see what I’m saying? You give it out, it comes back in other ways. And I’ve given so much to charity this year that I know I’ve got good karma coming as a result.
Who knew The GC was so charitable…
Yeah, but I don’t want praise from anyone. It just makes me feel better personally. I have a lot of money now, but I’ve worked for it. I got out there and I literally broke my back, nearly killing myself at times doing Dancing On Ice and falling through the stage at the Teen Awards. I do give it away to charity and I treat people throughout the year. My mates with children, every time I see them I give them 40 quid, or I’ll go on Amazon and get them a gift. No one goes without.
And what are you asking for this year?
Gucci is my weakness in life.
I’d love to meet whoever is designing for them at the
‘I WALK AROUND LIKE A BILLIONAIRE. I DON’T WORRY ABOUT MONEY’
minute and kiss them to death. So anything from Gucci, please. Actually, I’ve had a right touch – one of their cardigans was £2,400 on Net-a-porter. So I went into Gucci and they told me they’d just sent the very same cardigan over to the Bicester Village outlet centre, where it was on at £1,200. See what I mean about money coming back to you? That’s one million per cent my karma. I got my thousand pounds back. But it did mean I had to buy something else at the Gucci store for my points card.
How are you planning to spend Christmas Day?
If it was up to me I’d book into The Dorchester from 23 December and we’d all go there, but my brother’s kids are still young and they like Christmas at home. I just wanna enjoy myself this year. I see my family every day, so I will be with them, but if they all agreed to go to The Dorchester I’d be a very happy person. It ain’t gonna happen, though.
Will Arg be with you?
The thing is, he’s got his family,
I’ve got mine. We’ll see each other at some point, but probably on Boxing Day. We’ll go with the flow. We both love our families so we’re laid-back about it all. Remember, me and James party and have good times all year round, so this is more for the people who don’t get to do that.
You and Arg are off and on more than a light switch – do you want that proposal at Christmas?
If it happens, it happens – you can’t physically ask someone to do it. It’s a bit demanding.
But The GC is demanding!
Look, I’m not gonna say no if I get a big yellow diamond, but I won’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. We’ve been together a long time, but we are on and off, you know how it is. That said, James always buys me diamonds at Christmas, so I will be getting a diamond of some sort.
Would you be happy with a £99 sparkler from Argos?
Er, hell no. James knows! We do have a rule – every birthday and Christmas he has to lavish me with diamonds. He’s got me a cross, a bracelet and I’ve seen some earrings I like. I’m getting older now and I like to wear my diamonds. And if I get a ring… fantastic!
What’s the absolute minimum he should be spending on your engagement ring?
I think it has to be three times their annual salary. Ain’t that traditional?
‘I’M A QUEEN AND I NEED TO BE TREATED AS SUCH’
That seems an awful lot, Gem... Hold on, let me look it up. [Types furiously into Google] Oh, it’s three times their monthly salary. Now that is disappointing. Mind you, Arg does alright, don’t get me wrong. But he’s just bought a house, too, so I wouldn’t want to put that pressure on – so long as it’s diamonds of some sort. I’m a queen and I need to be treated as such. To be fair, James ain’t tight when it comes to me. If
I want something, I’ll always wangle it out of him. We’re lucky because we like to give each other treats and surprises.
Such as?
Well, he recently flew out to
Dubai to surprise me. That was nice. And he got me this lovely candle from the Versace shop that he knew I wanted. It’s the little things with me. I like the thought more than the gift. But don’t worry, Arg won’t be letting me down at Christmas. He knows there’ll be no Christmas dinner for him if he does!
And what are you planning on getting him?
I always leave him last, because James will send over lists and lists of items he’s seen throughout the year, but within a week he’ll have changed his mind. That’s just what he does. I have to keep saying, “James, you can’t keep having all this stuff. Material things don’t make you happy.” But listen, he loves Rustie Lee, so I’m gonna try to get her to come round and cook some Jamaican food for him.
That sounds incredible!
Hold on, I’ll ring her now. I ain’t had time before.
Gemma, please stay focused on this interview!
Hold on, hold on! [Rings Rustie Lee] “RUSTIE! I’m gonna come
back to you, I’m just doing an interview with new magazine – love you.” So that’s Rustie Lee. Fair enough. Let’s talk about pushing forward with your baby plans next year. Is that still on track?
I want kids, one million per cent, but I can’t guarantee it will be next year. But I’ve started losing a bit of weight, getting more healthy… Doing Dancing On Ice has been great for my fitness.
So it’s true that you’ve been to a Harley Street fertility clinic?
Oh yeah. Obviously there’s a lot of pressure around women’s fertility, especially at my age, so I thought I’d get a second opinion. I went to Dr Gibb on Harley Street. He literally flew in from Europe to see me. He’s the best there is and he said there was nothing wrong with me. He said when I want children, to speed up the process, he’ll give me a medication called Clomid and I’ll have a kid.
Sounds promising!
James always says, “Let God decide.” If it’s gonna happen, it will happen. We’re very relaxed about it. But when I have a child, it’s gonna have one hell of a life. I wouldn’t want anyone breathing on the child, grabbing it, touching it…
So you’d be a paranoid mum?
The baby will have its own team of security guards and I’m not even joking. When I have this child it’s gonna be cherished and loved to death. I’m like it with my nephews, I don’t let them out of my sight when they’re with me, so can you imagine what I’d be like with my own? It’ll have a very over-the-top nursery – come on, it’s The GC’S baby! My only worry is what if it comes out and it’s really boring? Can you imagine?! That would get me very nervous. I hope she’s like me.
Oh, so the baby’s a girl?
I really think it’s gonna be a girl. I have that feeling. James always talks about baby names. He wants to call it Ray, after Ray Winstone and Ray Liotta. And he says even if it’s a girl, he’ll spell it Rae, with an e. Honestly, he’s had deep thoughts about this.
Will he be a good dad?
He’s so good with children. His mum is a babysitter, so he does really love kids. He’s very loving, is James. But sometimes he’s still a child himself. But on the whole he’ll be great. You know what, let’s just see what happens. It’s all positive, I can have kids,
I’m winning!
Do you feel the pressure of the biological clock?
It’s all scaremongering. No offence, but look at all these famous people who have kids late in life. My only worry is that I’d have a boring baby. What if it doesn’t like singing, dancing, pink fluff?! Can you imagine?! I hope it’s a fabulous creation.
We have no doubt it will be!
Thanks, darling. So between now and 40 is the plan. If not naturally by 40, then that’s when I’ll make it happen. I’m very young in my mind. There’s time. I’ve put my career first and I’m glad I have because I’m independent and self-sufficient. If I had a baby I’d definitely be able to look after it.
Let’s talk TV. With TOWIE, DOI
and hopefully more Diva Forever
coming up, do you ever worry you’ll burn out?
Never. I’ll sleep when I’m dead. I have a bit of a funny sleeping pattern, but so does Simon
Cowell. That’s the thing, when you wanna be successful there ain’t time for sleep. But I do carry a lavender eye mask in my handbag, so if I can get a 20-minute kip in the car, job done.
But your schedule must be so full on!
Back in the day it was all new and I’d be trying to fit it all in, but now I know I can’t do three things at once. I take more care of myself. There was a time I’d be filming in the day, doing PAS at night and in the end I became a machine. I can still get all the jobs done, but
I have taken the pressure off myself. The schedule has to be sensible.
And what’s the current situation with Diva Forever?
There will be more! When I’m filming Diva, I’m the standalone star. I’m lucky I can carry the show on my own, but it’s pressure, ’cos it’s just me filming 12 hours a day, making entertainment for people. I’m lucky I’m so entertaining as it is. I love doing what I do, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I don’t want to stop.
Would you ever tone yourself down, though? At one point in the last series you had your stylist smell your vagina for you…
Right. Let me just clear that up. Normally I only have to say, “Hello” and it’s TV gold, but on that day I didn’t feel like I’d given enough on the camera. It wasn’t quite working. So the pressure was on and I went a bit over the top. This is an exclusive for new magazine – I didn’t have thrush, my vagina didn’t smell. But I had to think of something shocking!
And it is a shocking moment. But to clear things up, it’s all good down there.
It certainly got a reaction!
My mum rang me up and she said, “Oh no, why did you do that? You panicked, didn’t you? You went totally over the top and it was wrong.” She knew. And my stylist can confirm my vagina doesn’t smell. But it was a talking point, wasn’t it? This is why I’m the biggest reality star in the UK. Can anyone else top me?!
And how was the TOWIE
Christmas Special?
The problem I’ve got with TOWIE
is that you can’t really refer to your real life. Like, I can’t sit on camera and talk about being at an ITV party the night before, or the fact I’m filming for Diva. But I’m not the girl from Brentwood any more. Life moves forward and I am so busy with other stuff. So
TOWIE doesn’t show the true reality of what’s going on in my life. And the reality is, I’m famous now. My life’s different from the others. I’ve evolved so much, but you can’t really show that on screen.
Do the rest of the cast get jealous that you’re so famous now?
If they do I’ve not witnessed anything like that myself.
Everyone seems happy for me. In fact, there’s a lot of respect there for me on set. They see The GC got to the top. Remember, I wasn’t the prettiest or the skinniest girl on the show, but I’m definitely the most successful off the back of it.
Mark Wright might have something to say about that…
I think we’re both successful in our own rights – Mark is a firstclass presenter and he’s drop dead gorgeous – but weirdly I never fancied him. I always fancied Arg. Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, isn’t it? Mind you, the Wrights are a ridiculously good-looking family. They should be handing their genes out. There’s not one ugly person in that family, is there?
They are all very attractive, yes…
The thing is, Mark grew up and evolved. It would’ve been nice if we all stayed contained in the
TOWIE bubble the way we were, but that’s not real life. It’s not The Truman Show, is it? But Mark, cracking America, doing his presenting out there, he’s got his radio show, he’s done so well.
Do you and Arg ever double date with Mark and Michelle?
Not yet! Michelle always asks where I am, though. We were invited to Mark’s brother’s 30th the other week and James forgot to pass on the invite to me! I was already in London so I couldn’t make it back in time and the next day he was like, “Michelle was asking where you were.” I told him he’d have to confess he’d forgotten to ask me! Jess was asking too. I love Jess. I can’t wait until she gets married.
Will you be bridesmaid?
Nah, I’d never be anyone’s bridesmaid, darling. I have to be honest here, I’d only wanna be the main attraction. And
‘MY BABY WILL HAVE ITS OWN SECURITY GUARDS’
how could anyone look as beautiful as Jess Wright in a wedding dress? No, I’ll sit out for that one. But I will have bridesmaids at mine.
Who’s on your list?
There are so many people I’d have. The wedding’s gonna be huge, it’ll have to be a five-day performance. It’ll be an extravaganza. When Arg talks about it, he’s got big ideas. Loads of bands, he wants garage singers in but I’m like, “Shall we just go to Italy and do it?”
So you have talked about it?
Yeah, of course. I’d want to do a civil ceremony in The Dorchester, then I’d fly to Sicily. Arg and I went on holiday there over the summer and we had a fantastic time. It holds a lot of really lovely memories for me. But let’s wait and see. I want all the romance and love and the big party after.
Will Jonathan Cheban be invited?
He’s changed his name, hasn’t he? I like Jonathan. Am I allowed to call him that any more? I think we have to call him Foodgod. Hold on, let’s try and call him.
Go on then…
Right, hold on… [Gemma calls him through Whatsapp – the call rejects] Oh, it’s cut off! Last time I spoke to him he sent me a message saying he was now called Foodgod, and that was it. I said, “Congrats, let’s have a party! Do you wanna be on my podcast?” He didn’t respond.
Oh…
Look, we all love Jonathan – sorry, Foodgod – but it’s all about him! He likes to be the famous one but when you’ve got two divas together, the friction starts. Plus I always gain about a stone in his company. The man’s a total feeder!
Well, he is Foodgod!
I mean, literally. He took me to the most amazing restaurants out in LA. We went to a place called Craig’s, which Jonathan told me was famous for its bread. That’s the worst thing you could say to someone like me, I was in there like a shot. We ate a bread basket every night. I put on a lot of weight, but he didn’t put on a pound.
It’s a shame he hasn’t replied about the podcast, it’s a huge success!
I love my podcast. It’s been amazing. It’s really great that I’ve got so much freedom on it, I talk about anything and everything. At first I didn’t know what I was doing, but now I’m excited by it. You recently revealed Downing Street had asked you to come and talk politics…
Listen, once all the Brexit’s done and dusted we’ll be fine, nothing’s gonna change. It’s all scaremongering. We’ve gotta keep cosmic ordering up the positivity, people! And those are my words of wisdom for 2020!
And speaking of 2020 – what are your plans for New Year’s Eve? Do you think you’ll be out partying?
I really don’t know. Every day of my life I could be at massive parties, mixing with this one or that one, but I could sit in with a curry and be just as happy. Again, I go with the flow – that’s just me all over!
‘THE WEDDING’S GONNA BE HUGE – FIVE DAYS!’