The only way is Tatler… as society bible hires Gemma, queen of huns
IT’S quite a step from being a second-hand car dealer in The Only Way Is Essex to gracing the glossy pages of society magazine Tatler – but if anyone can pull it off, Gemma Collins can.
I can reveal that the quintessential Essex girl, who refers to herself as The GC and has appeared in other reality television programmes including Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing On Ice, is to write a piece about ‘hun culture’.
Sources tell me that some well-heeled staff at Tatler were rather surprised to learn that the 41-year-old had been commissioned to write about the phenomenon, which refers to the trend of female celebrities, mostly pop stars, behaving in a way their fans can relate to – a sort of lad culture for girls.
GQ magazine defines it as ‘drinking a gin out of one of those giant goblet glasses while your Fridaynight takeaway is delivered (because “the diet starts on Monday!”). It’s popping to the corner shop with your rollers in.’
Gemma even used the term ‘hun’ while offering Theresa May advice on how to handle Brexit. Speaking on Good Morning Britain in 2019, she told the then Prime Minister: ‘If you need some help, hun, I’m free for an hour after the show.’
A source tells me: ‘You literally could not have two more polar opposites. You’ve got posh Tatler and then Gemma from Romford – though both she and the magazine’s bosses are absolutely thrilled.’
Hiring Gemma is simply the latest example of how Tatler is revamping its content to reflect the influence of a new breed of social high-flyer.
In the magazine’s Little Black Book of society’s most eligible men and women, which came out last month, straw-boatered viscounts and girls in cashmere have been replaced with sportsmen and television stars who represent the new aristocracy.
Its most eligible young woman of the year is Love Island star Gemma Owen, 19 – daughter of former England footballer Michael Owen. Her male counterpart is Mason Mount, 23, who plays for Chelsea and was in the England team that drew against the US in Friday’s World Cup game.