Gemma Collins
Gemma Clare Collins (born 31 January 1981) is an English media personality and businesswoman. From 2011 to 2019, she appeared on the ITVBe reality series "The Only Way Is Essex". Collins then went on to appear in numerous television shows, including "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!" (2014), "Celebrity Big Brother" (2016), "Celebs Go Dating" (2018), and "Dancing on Ice" (2019). In 2018, she began starring in her own reality franchise, "", and the following year, she began hosting a podcast on BBC Sounds. In 2022, Collins fronted a Channel 4 documentary special titled "". Early life . Gemma Clare Collins was born on 31 January 1981 at Oldchurch Hospital in Romford, East London. She is the daughter of Joan ("née" Williams), who worked as a part-time hairdresser and Alan Collins, the director of Unisystems Freight, an import-export shipping company. She has an older brother named Russell, who is also a director of their father's company. Shortly after her birth, the family moved from a house in Collier Row and Collins was raised in Rise Park where she attended Rise Park Infant School. Collins described her childhood as being "filled with love" and said that  although money was "tight", her father still managed to take them on family holidays and said she has "very happy memories" of her early years. Collins then went on to attend Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls. She enjoyed performing arts from a young age and attended dance lessons and stage school. At the age of 14, she began attending the Sylvia Young Theatre School and successfully auditioned for a part in "The Sound of Music". Collins' mother was encouraging and said she knew that her daughter would one day become famous. Collins was bullied at school for being outgoing and  confident, and so following the success of her father's business, her parents decided to move her to Raphael Independent School, a private school, for her final year of education. She left school at the age of 16 with a U in GCSE Maths. Reflecting on her time at school, Collins said "I remember sitting in the exam room for my maths GCSE and thinking, "I’m going to be famous, I don’t need maths." After leaving school, Collins got a Saturday job in the clothes shop Warehouse before becoming a waitress at a local pub called The Orange  Tree. She signed up to a media studies course at South Essex College but stopped attending after a few weeks as she found it boring. Collins returned to her job at the clothes shop Benetton before spending a few weeks working in a care home, looking after people suffering from mental illnesses. Collins then worked at a recruitment agency in London before becoming a receptionist in a BMW showroom, where she retrained to become a sales executive. Career. 2011–2017: "The Only Way Is Essex" and "Celebrity Big Brother". Collins' first appearance on television was in the ITV documentary "Snobs", which  aired on 13 January 2000. The series focused on people who believed they were a different class. Following her appearance on the show, Collins visited an agent who told her that she "had charisma but was too fat to be on TV"; suggesting she should lose two stone. In 2011, Julie Childs, mother of Collins' friend Amy, suggested to producers of the ITV2 reality series "The Only Way Is Essex" that Collins, who was a used car sales woman at the time, would be an appropriate subject. They went to Collins' house and then filmed her and her friends for  two weeks. After going back to work selling cars for a week, she was cast in the programme and began appearing in "The Only Way Is Essex" from its second series in 2011; her first ever scene was selling a car to Kirk Norcross. While appearing on the programme, Collins opened a clothes boutique. Her mother Joan joined in the fifth series in April 2012. In April 2013, Collins released her debut autobiography "Basically...: My Life as a Real Essex Girl", which became a bestseller in its first week of release. In January 2014, Collins took part in the second  series of the ITV diving competition "Splash!". During training, Collins suffered severe bruising and admitted she had to overcome a fear of water. She became the third celebrity to be eliminated after losing the splash-off to Michaela Strachan in the first heat. In November 2014, she took part in the fourteenth series of "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!" on ITV. After she refused to parachute into the jungle along with her cast mates, she withdrew after spending 72 hours in the jungle, which she said was due to health issues. On 5 January 2016, she  entered the "Celebrity Big Brother" house to participate in the seventeenth series. On 2 February 2016, she became the seventh housemate to be evicted, having received the fewest votes to be saved, spending a total of 29 days in the house. In October 2016, Collins appeared on Sky News where she was interviewed by Kay Burley about the campaign to remove the word "Essex girl" from the "Oxford English Dictionary". Collins described the definition, which stereotypes Essex girls as "unintelligent, promiscuous, and materialistic", as derogatory and suggested that the meaning be changed. The expression was removed from the dictionary following  the successful campaign in December 2020. In January 2017, Collins took part in the second series of "Sugar Free Farm", alongside five other celebrities as they attempted to live on a sugar-free diet. During the show she attempted fishing and despite the strict detox plan, Collins admitted she actually gained weight during the process. In June 2017, Collins returned to "Big Brother", as a special guest for a shopping task, alongside fellow ex-contestants Marnie Simpson and Nicola McLean. In October 2017, Collins presented the BBC Radio 1 Teen Award for Best TV Show to "Love Island" and, after  announcing the winner, fell through an opening in the stage. The clip later went viral on social media. In an interview with "Irish News", Collins said "the seriousness of it is, it could have been really fatal". After the video's widespread attention, further videos of Collins were used as memes, including scenes from her appearances on "The Only Way Is Essex" and "Celebrity Big Brother". In November 2017, Collins collaborated with fashion website Boohoo.com to release a clothing range aimed at plus-sized women. The following year, she went on to release a collection of swimwear with the retailer . 2018–present: "Dancing on Ice" and "Diva". In January 2018, Collins appeared on "Celebrity 100% Hotter" in an attempt to change her style. Collins admitted she was "terrified" about having a makeover but said she was keen to try out some different trends. In February 2018, she took part in the fourth series of "Celebs Go Dating". During her time on the show, Collins walked out on one of her dates within the first few minutes after he branded her a "diva" due to her being late, whilst she was also reprimanded by the dating experts after she failed to  turn up to her date with Laurence, who was planning to take her to Paris. In June 2018, she released her second book, titled "The GC: How to Be a Diva", in which she provides advice and self help for women to gain confidence. In an interview on "Loose Women", she admitted to using a ghostwriter. She also guest starred in a promotional advert for Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black". Collins went on to appear in "", a one-off reality television special aired on 29 August 2018. In September 2018, Collins took part in the thirteenth series of  Celebrity MasterChef. She was eliminated in the second round of the third heat after her sea bass served in greaseproof paper failed to impress the judges. On 24 December 2018, Collins took part in a one-off celebrity special of "All Together Now". Collins first performed "Big Spender" by Shirley Bassey where she received a score of 88 after impressing the judges with her vocal ability, which secured her a place in the top 3. She then sang "This Is Me" by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman ensemble and subsequently finished in third place with a score of 39 . In 2019, Collins took part in the eleventh series of "Dancing on Ice", alongside professional partner Matt Evers. While competing in the series, Collins had an on-screen argument with judge Jason Gardiner, who made comments about her weight and lack of commitment to the series. In week four, Collins suffered a fall during a live performance. She fell on her face, nearly breaking her jaw and neck, and injured her knee significantly. Despite the fall, the couple received their highest scores of the competition and subsequently progressed to the next week. In week six, they became the fifth couple  to be eliminated, following a skate-off against Ryan Sidebottom and his professional partner Brandee Malto. In April 2019, Collins began filming for her own reality series, "". The series premiered on 7 August 2019 on ITVBe. The pilot episode premiered to a total of 673,038 viewers, and was the most watched episode on ITVBe in that week. "Diva Forever" was subsequently renewed by ITV for a second series, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production was suspended. As a result, Collins filmed a new reality series, "", from her home in Brentwood. In August 2019, Collins began hosting a podcast on  BBC Sounds, titled "The Gemma Collins Podcast". In September 2019, Collins released her debut perfume, Diva Pink. In April 2020, Collins collaborated with the company Cocoa Plus to release her own range of chocolate bars. She has since released other confectionery including luxury truffles, an advent calendar, and an Easter egg. In July 2020, Collins became the face of low-cost airline Wizz Air. Upon being appointed brand ambassador, Collins said "Anyone who knows me knows I am all about holidays, so Wizz have come to the right person for some travel inspo! Whether it’s siestas and fiestas in  Marbs or sunbathing and dancing through the night on a Greek Island, I have got a tip or two up my sleeve. Now we can all fly like the GC!". In August 2020, Collins began hosting a second podcast on BBC Sounds entitled "The Gemma Collins Love Lounge". In September 2020, Collins announced her collaboration with fashion company InTheStyle, debuting her first plus-size collection with the brand. In October 2020, "" premiered on ITVBe. Collins also collaborated with Zymurgorium, a distillery in Manchester, to launch her own premium gin liqueur as part of the company's "FlaGINgo" range. In November  2020, Collins partnered with the online casino PlayOJO to launch a faux fragrance, in order to raise awareness that problem gambling is the "addiction with no smell". She admitted that the campaign was close to her heart having previously been around addicts in her life. On 11 December 2020, Collins released a charity single, a cover of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" alongside her "Celebrity Big Brother" co-star Darren Day, with proceeds from the single going towards Rethink Mental Illness. The music video was released at the end of "", which aired on 9 December 2020. In February 2021, Collins  appeared on "Piers Morgan's Life Stories", where she discussed her early life, career, relationships, and miscarriages, as well as her struggles with her weight and online trolling. Collins also appeared as a special guest on the second series of "RuPaul's Drag Race UK" to judge the Snatch Game segment of the show. In March 2021, Collins teamed up with the London Aesthetics Company to release GemmaCollagen, her own anti-ageing collagen supplement and skincare regime. In August 2021, Collins was announced as the new face of the laundry detergent brand Surf and released her own limited edition detergent  and capsules as part of the company's "Diva Divine" range, exclusive to Asda supermarkets. In February 2021, Collins fronted a documentary on Channel 4 titled "", where she opened up for the first time about her personal relationship with self-harm and spoke to experts investigating what is behind the rise in cases of self harm in the United Kingdom. In April 2022, Collins is set to embark on her first live theatre tour, the GC's Big Night Out'. Performing in venues across the UK, the seven-date tour was announced on 19 April 2021 and tickets went on  sale on 23 April. The tour was originally scheduled to take place between 15–24 October 2021 but was postponed due to logistical issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal life. Collins lives in Roxwell, Chelmsford in a barn conversion which she bought for £1.3 million in 2021. She has described the house as her "dream home" and has had multiple renovations including a swimming pool and a summer house. Collins enjoys gardening and has expressed her love of plants. Relationships. In 2012, Collins dated fellow "The Only Way Is Essex" cast member Charlie King. During their relationship, Collins had suspicions  that King was gay. He later came out in 2014. Following their split, she began dating mechanic Rami Hawash and the pair became engaged on 25 December 2013, however the engagement was called off a few weeks later. Collins briefly dated James Argent in 2012, before reuniting with ex-boyfriend Rami. The pair reconciled in December 2017 when Argent professed his love for Collins during "The Only Way Is Essexmas" and they were in an on-and-off relationship until July 2020. Argent struggled with cocaine addiction which resulted in the breakdown of their relationship. Collins said Argent's addiction  made her feel "suicidal" and caused her to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result. In July 2021, Collins confirmed she had rekindled her relationship with ex-fiancé Rami Hawash several months previously after she was spotted wearing her engagement ring in April. She also discussed her plans to have a baby with Hawash as well as a television show to document the pregnancy and baby's birth. Health. In 2004, Collins had an abortion when she was around three months pregnant after doctors told her that her baby would most likely be born with complications. Collins suffers  from polycystic ovary syndrome and in January 2012, she suffered a miscarriage and gave birth to a four and a half month old foetus on her landing the day before she attended the 17th National Television Awards. In July 2020, Collins suffered a third miscarriage, which she initially suspected to be a heavy period, after which she wrote an open letter to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex detailing her struggles with infertility and thanking her for her "bravery and honesty" for opening up about her own miscarriage. Collins previously admitted her fear about never becoming a mother but has said she  won’t give up hope and hopes to conceive naturally one day. In 2015, Collins underwent surgery to have a designer vagina which cost £2,000. In 2020, she announced that she was planning to have a breast reduction. In 2021, Collins had her botox and fillers removed, stating that she "didn't look like herself" and wanted to instead opt for a more natural look. During her appearance on "Dancing on Ice" in 2019, Collins lost over two stone and since then has continued to lose weight after adapting a more balanced diet and exercise regime. She regularly posts  workout videos and has shared her fitness journey on social media. Public image. Alter ego. During her time on "The Only Way Is Essex", Collins earned a reputation for being a diva. Her alter-ego was first created during the show's third series when Sam Faiers referred to her as "The GC". Collins describes her alter-ego as an "intervention" and says she and The GC are "very different people". Speaking in 2020, she said "Although I'm Gemma Collins, I've got my brand the GC. Gemma Collins is a homely girl who loves watering hanging baskets. The  GC, which is my brand, is basically a character that's over the top that people either love her or hate her, but on the back of her I've managed to launch perfumes and lipsticks." Collins embraces the term "diva" and says the word "empowers her". Her influences include Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and Dolly Parton. Humanitarian work. Collins is a supporter of animal rights. She has appeared in numerous campaigns for the animal rights organisation PETA. In 2013, she posed naked for the "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign. In 2020, Collins was  photographed in a bathtub to highlight the fact that marine animals are separated from their families and confined to concrete tanks. In 2021, she posed with a skinned fox as she backed the campaign to end the fur trade in the United Kingdom. Addressing the prime minister Boris Johnson, Collins said "Take it from an icon, Boris – no one needs fur in their wardrobe. Do the right thing – ban fur imports and sales. Let’s wear our skin and let the animals keep theirs." Speaking on her podcast, Collins expressed her interest in becoming a humanitarian and said she wishes  to promote conservation and animal welfare to the next generation.