I thought I would summaries an episode of Piers Morgan's new series of Life Stories as this episode was about non other than Gemma Collins the 'GC' herself. I think she's such a funny individual and she has achieved a lot more than just appearing on The Only Way Is Essex, so I thought I'd take notes throughout the whole show and make a summary of what was discussed in her episode!
To begin, Piers Morgan introduced her and asked what the perks were of being Gemma Collins, to which she quickly explained that she sometimes gets VIP treatment or can upgrade to first class on planes for example, and that she's amassed over 2 million followers on social media, earning a massive £75,000 on one day, just by posting some social media content! She adds that 'it's insane, but the opportunity was there' and that's the sort of mentality I love when it comes to Gemma Collins. She doesn't hide the fact that she wanted to be famous, and she has had a bit of a rocky journey to get to where she is now, but nobody can critique her, because she may just see that as people being jealous at where she is today. Piers compared her to the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Rihanna and stating that they all had amazing careers, and there might be people watching the show and thinking 'what's your talent other than being you?' - and Gemma quickly said that some people think of her as being the next one in line. She is one of the people that is now in the public eye purely going out to have a 'good stab at earning some money'. Piers asked if Gemma can sing and she gave a quick rendition of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' with Piers adding 'that's actually not bad' - and having already released a Christmas single cover of 'Baby It's Cold Outside' on 11th December 2020, she might be on the way to creating more original music, and maybe even a album?
Piers asked Gemma about an autobiography she began writing when she was only 13 years old and quoted some of the lines from the book including a line that she mentioned her dream in life was to become famous. She also wrote 'most people think I'm a show off, and I am...I know what I want ouf of life, I want to be famous' which is a dream that a lot of young children want, but she must have been very determined to get to where she is today. She explained to Piers that she is a very determined person and that if she puts her mind to something, she'll be able to do it. Gemma is known for being brash and brutally honest, according to Piers, after having appeared on a variety of television shows including TOWIE, I'm A Celebrity and Dancing on Ice, being described as 'Britain's Reality Diva' with Joey Essex, a former TOWIE co star adding that she is the 'Queen of Towie'. Dan Wootton also said that with Gemma, 'what you see if what you get...honest to a fault' and she is one of those people that will be almost too honest, the example shown was her explaining on camera that she needed to pull out a wedgie...Her sister-in-law Vicky Ford also explained that Gemma is sensitive, passionate and also somebody I'm proud to call my friend!
Gemma was born in Romford, Essex in 1981 and her mum know instantly that she was going to be famous. She joined a theatre/dance school at a young age, and one of her teachers Kevin Dorsett said that there was something different about her, and on stage or off stage, she was described as being 'different' but in a positive way. After she finished school, she was already embracing the celebrity lifestyle, going out shopping and having her photos taken! At the age of 18 years old, she appeared on ITV's show 'Snobs' which was a show about how rich people used their money to fund their lifestyle, but Piers explained that she had to also get a real job, so alongside her celebrity fame, she previously worked in a care home and recruitment. In 2003, she became a receptionist at the BMW branch in Romford, working her wat up to the Sales Executive. Vicky, her fitness coach explained that Gemma's open and bubbly character helped her to sell cars instantly, just by being the smiley character she was and shouting 'come in come in' to anyone that was looking to purchase a car. In 2011, Gemma was given the phone call about appearing on TOWIE for 7 weeks, and her mum revealed that 'this is your time'. One of the crew behind the production of the show, Claire Faragher stated that she had sent the team to film with Gemma, and what they captured as soon as she opened her mouth was 'mesmorising'. Charlie King, one of the formed TOWIE cast said that Gemma was 'something they hadn't seen before' with her sister-in-law Dawn Ward explaining that she felt 'proud of her'. Charlie further went on to explain that she sometimes got terrifed of Gemma, and used to cross his arms to stop shaking...so Gemma's presence definitely did have an effect on people. Her mum Joan Collins also agreed that she is incredibly proud of Gemma and it's 'great what she's achieved'. Piers Morgan went on to say that she had been in contact with the television agent to see if they would take her on, and asked Gemma if she remembered what was said to her? She was unsure and Piers said that the representative admitted that Gemma had the charisms, but was 'too fat to be on TV'. Gemma quickly responded with 'Look where I am now hunny' and explained that she never gave up, and that's what people admire about her. She also explained that she's not been blessed with a 'Victoria secret body, but it's my body and I love it'!
Piers continued to ask questions about her time on TOWIE, describing the situation as 'the door wrenching open and you, Gemma Collins bursting through'. She admitted that the producers has initially only asked her to be on the set for 7 weeks and then they would review the situation, and she made sure that she did everything in her power to make a good impression. Piers said that she was able to gain 2,000/3,000 followers on Twitter and although she had a lot of positive messages and support, she was also receiving a lot of horrible messages and abuse. Gemma said that it was 'hard' to deal with it all, and there were times where people said things like 'we hate you', 'go in your car and have a car crash' and 'I wish you were dead' among other negative remarks online. She said that 'you have to have a very thick skin, and that's where the GC was created'. She goes on to admit that the industry isn't for everyone, and there's a lot of people that she knows personally who can't handle it. Piers also spoke about her reputation of being a 'diva' and whether she felt guilty about it, to which she quickly reponded with '100% not guilty', but Piers quickly brought up some 'diva like' things that she had done. One instance was her refusal to record an episode of Celebs Go Dating in Wales, and only in Essex, because nobody was as popular or well known as she was, and also threatened to have a £60,000 initial fee handed back, unless her demands were met. She quickly said that 'when I hear things like that about myself, I laugh, but I also cringe at the same time...because it's not good behaviour' and Piers also added that she's usually late for jobs, but ironically she was early to Piers' show - to which she said 'I'd never be late for you Piers!'.
She goes on to talk about her 'diva power', using it as a protective shield, admitting that she has to be nice to her fans because sometimes they get very overwhelmed in meeting her. She explained a story of a woman who met her during a book signing and started crying her eyes out, explaining to Gemma she wanted 3 things in life...a house, a pet monkey and to meet her. Gemma admitted that she would love to meet Madonna, purely because she loves the fact that Madonna has gone through a lot in her life, and although she's now 60 years old, she still carries on...and that's the way Gemma wants to be! I'm sure a lot of people remember when Gemma presented the Teen Awards at BBC Radio 1 several years ago, and she fell through the stage, on top of three former contestants from Love Island who she almost crushed. She explains that it she felt like an elephant and was almost about to be decapitated...and she was in agony, but the show had to go on! Gemma also revealed that she is a big spender, and spent over £50,000 in the space of 2 months, 'walking up an ddown Knightsbridge'. She explained that this was her way of 'comfort shopping' and went crazy in shops like Gucci, where she spent a lot of money on shoes, bags and coats, as well as staying in the Dorchester hotel almost everyday of the week, 'wining and dining' and also got 'absolutely massive' that she couldn't even walk! She went on to explain that her father took away her debit cards otherwise she could have been in a different place to where she way today, and she now has a £3,000 allowance per month. Gemma adds 'if it was down to me, I'd be driving around in a Bentley, but I'm not allowed and my Dad keeps me grounded'.
Piers asked Gemma about her childhood life and growing up. Her full name is Gemma Claire Collins, born in 1981 and she didn't have any money in the family. Gemma explained that she loved her childhood, had a big birthday of hers at 'The Little Chef', and the hard work and tenacity that she is able to demonstate now, comes from her Dad who used to work 'all the hours' including night shifts at the pub. Her mum also helped her gain confidence within herself, but that lead to groups of girls at school singing songs like 'I love myself' - as if she was being cocky, rather than just confident within herself! Gemma explained that 'two wrongs don't make a right' but she hopes that those bullies have worked on something within themselves to change their perceptions of people, especially when they don't know somebody personally. Gemma has been on our screens for almost a decade, and in 2012 she became a permanent fixture on TOWIE. Her mum Joan revealed that in her teenage years she was eating whatever she wanted, was always dancing and never thought about having to work out, but during her 20's she got together with a trader from Essex, who's she got pregnant with, but there were complications. Her Dad explained that Gemma had to terminate the baby, and her life was turned upside down...and with those sorts of experiences in life, 'you don't get over it. Vicky Young, her friend and fitness coach explained that years later she had been having suicidal thoughts and self harming, thinking 'where did all this come from? It was revealed that she would be eating behind closed doors before going out for a big meal, and when something is personal, it usually takes a lot of time to get the information out of her.
Claire Faragher explained that Gemma had issues with her weight even when she was on the TOWIE set, especially being next to incredibly slim girls, alongside Gemma who was a normal curvy girl, comparing the other ladies to a 'size 0'. Charlie King explained that there were 'dangerous grounds' and it wasn't good for her mental health, when Gemma was receiving negative messages and abuse online, with Joey Essex adding that people were calling her names, fat shaming her and calling her uncessary words. Gemma said that 'you can criticise someone, but you don't need to get personal'. Joey added that she also received a lot of death threats on social media, which brought her confidence down, explaining that 'getting death threats isn't a joke...and referring it to not just being abuse, but also terrifying as well. A teary Gemma explained that the video tape was very difficult to watch, and that 'you don't forget about it, but that's the downside to fame'. She also reassured Piers that she's a lot more comfortable now in her own skin. Gemma continued to hear some of the other messages sent to her online, with Piers stating that she had received comments such as 'please leave TOWIE and die, 'you hurt my eyes when you come on TV' and 'please die you waste of oxygen' - which people wouldn't say to her face, but Piers quickly added that sometimes they do. Gemma admitted that whilst she was taking her mum out for lunch, a van pulled up alongside her and her mother, calling her a fat c*nt and cow. She said that she felt really hurt that it happened infront of her mum, and that although she was used to it personally, she didn't want her mum to hear it.
Piers stated that Gemma had previously been open about her ongoing struggle with weight, and Gemma said that she always turned to food in 'terms of crisis' explaining that whether she was happy or sad, she would eat. She goes on to say 'it's about dealing with your emotions and finding a way to deal with it in a healthy way' than how she previously had dealt with her issue. Piers stated that she had gone from a size 10 to a size 20 in the space of a year and was shocked how drastically her life had changed. Gemma went on to say that she was really happy, had a lovely boyfriend who was a stockbroker at the time, they lived in a lovely home and after 5 years of being together she was pregnant! After 3 months, she had a scan and the doctor's had told Gemma that her baby's not right, and that it was going to be deformed, so she made the difficult decision of terminating the baby which was difficult to do, and also said that the guy she loved went off with somebody else, so she turned to eating more than she did before, and also self harming. Gemma said that at age 20/21 she felt 'desperately unhappy', saying that it was 'shocking'. She spoke about the scars that still remain on her wrist which she can still see now, revealing that 'I look at thrat now and I see that as a sign of how far I've come'. She further added that she would 'get a knife and it was almost like a release/coping mechanism' but said that she's out of it now and would never want to revisit that situation. Piers asked her whether she felt suicidal at the time and could have potentially taken her own life, or if it was just a cry for help...and she answered 'probably more a cry for help', adding that she should have probably had therapy, and wouldn't judge anybody as it can happen to anybody.
The next topic of discussion was around psychics, and Piers asked her that if she believed in it, where would she be in the next 10 years? She said 'I'm gonna be in Hollywood, and might be too busy to take your call'. She also said that she hired somebody to make her 'feel better' whilst she was on Dancing On Ice (before she had that incredibly painful fall on the ice), but quickly added that none of them have ever got her future right, but she just enjoys it. Piers also questioned her about the secret sex tape she had, adding that Gemma had stated it would 'knock Kim K off of her pedestal' if she released it. Gemma said 'Yes, I might go stint one day and might have to do a Kim K' but added that she would try and graft a better way of earning money than that, although 'sex sells'. She also cheekily said that if she was going to release the 20 minute video, Piers would be the first one to see it...but she had no plans of putting it out there, especially whilst her parents were alive. After a matter of minutes and questioning from Piers, she said that she is probably going to delete the tape from her phone, as Piers described her entire life including her body as a 'commodity to be sold' with no privacy at all. He also asked her that if she had kids in the future, would she want her kids watching their mother having sex on the Internet with some guy - to which she replied 'No, when you put it like that, I'd rather go to wotk 24/7, 7 days a week 365 days a year'!
It was also shared that Gemma absolutely loves both of her parents and calls her Mum almost 100 times a day according to Vicky Ford, with her mum Joan adding that they've 'always got something to talk about' and her Dad referring to her as 'my angel'. Joan Collins also said that Gemma's taste in men is awful, and she would often go for those that would enterain her, but were nothing special. Gemma's first on screen relationship was with Charlie King, a former TOWIE star who wasn't the standard 'geezer' Gemma wanted to date, but he revealed that there were a lot of rumours around his sexuality speculating whether he was gay or not, and after coming out as a gay man they broke up, and Gemma was soon back on the screen with a new local businessman called Rami. Vicky Ford said that 'he didn't make her feel special' and was almost quite happy when Gemma got rid of him. In May 2021, Gemma Collins and James Argent hit it up, with Vicky comparing James to being a 'male version of Gemma' with a lot of personality and character. She appeared on Loose Women several months later and had revealed that she was single once again, before bursting into tears and stating that she didn't want to talk about it. Her mum Joan added that the relationship with James had been on and off for years, and when James started taking cocains in 2013, his habit turned into an addiction, affecting their relationship but also his personal life. Dan Wootton, from The Sun had said that a lot of people were blaming Gemma as if she was the cause, when behind the scenes she had sacrificed a lot of money to try and help him, admitting she didn't want him to die. Gemma revealed that when she sees the picture of James (or Arg) in the grey cardigan...trying drugs for one night can often end up with you getting addicted, and she was really happy with him before the drugs 'changed him as a person'. She also said that she spent 3 years fighting to get him well, and it was one of her lowest moments where she felt suicidal. After her relationship ended she thought that she didn't want to be here anymore, and Christmas of 2019 was an 'all time low'. She went on to explain that she suffered a miscarriage in early 2020, with James Argent being the 'soon-to-be' father and she didn't even realise she was pregnant. Her final comment on this particular topic was that if she could turn back the times, back to when he was in the grey jumper and not doing drugs...she probably would relive it all ove again. 'you don't dislike James when you meet him' and she further said that she couldn't sweep her emotions under the carpet, but remembered getting flashbacks and was also diagnosed with PTSD. 'It only ever got chaotic, not because we didn't love eachother, but James became an addict'.
Gemma's next topic was round being ridiculed by people on social media and her ability to always 'bounce back'. She said that she's 'no joke', she's a serious woman, and she's even read Piers Morgan's autobigraphy, calling it 'good'. She went on to explain she's actually quite intellectual - not to the level of Stephen Hawking, but she's sharp. Piers asked her what was the latest book she had read, and she said 'Becoming Michelle Obama' revealing that there were no similarities, as she's GC and a 'one off to be honest', but praised Michelle Obama's determination, adding that Piers knows about Gemma being somebody who doesn't give up, and is a 'force of nature'.
Brian McFadden, former member of Westlife was shocked that Gemma had only been going for 10 years, but added that she's the reality star who is going to be on our screens for a long time, especially after she was given her own reality show 'Gemma Collins Diva Forever' which she was so excited about, she called her mum and dad to tell them about! Joey Essex also explained that it was going to be sooner rather than later for her to get her own show, especially as she's the GC and always likes to take centre stage. After the government imposed the national lockdown, she was lucky enough to be living with her brother Russell and grandson Hayden, who she helped homeschool whilst the schools were open - and Dawn, her friend said that it was nice to see the real Gemma, not the GC with her hair and makeup done all the time. Her brother Russell said that there is a 'real responsible side to her' and Hayden Collins compared her to being like a big sister. There was a funny clip shown from her show where she was driving around the garden in a lawnmower shouting 'I'm the GC in Isolation baby...how do I slow this thing down?' - which is just one of those 'comedy gold' moments from Gemma's career! After saying goodbye to her 30's, Gemma also realised how important it was to start eating better and becoming more active, and Dawn Ward said that she's never seen Gemma to happy, upbeat and able to embrace her body than ever before. Joey Essex also added that 'she's got the candy' and she knows she's sexy, with Brian McFadden adding that 'not every woman has to be skinny' and brother Russell saying that 'she's such an inspiration to me and I think well done Gem!'
Piers asked Gemma what she wants to get out of her 40's and the first thing she thought about was having children. Vicky Ford said that Gemma is ready to meet the man who's going to marry her and give her the children that she wants and Russell said she needs to 'go grab the world with both your hands'. Gemma said that she thinks she'll be a fantastic mum, and in terms of parental control she'll go 'full on GC' if they're going to misbehave. In terms of her personal thoughts of reaching 40, she said she she's grown, has gained more confidence and that 'the past is my past and it's all about the future for me', adding that there's 'something good in my bones for my 40's', but her number one pirority is just to be happy. Piers also asked about whether she would ever think about giving up the GC character, to which she replied 'I think when I have children, it's time to get her off...I need to be a bit more sensible now. I don't need to sell a sex tape, or put all of my life out there'. Gemma added that she wants to be remembered as a suffragette, and a woman that fought for rights and 'stood for the underdog'. She explained that she would take whoever needs to hear it, and march with them down the street. To finish the interview, she said that those people who are overweight and don't look like Victoria secret models are the ones that she will champion and go to war with! I must say, Gemma Collins is one of the most influential celebrities at the moment, alongside other famous people of our time, including the Kardashian & Jenner families, the TikTok stars of the D'Amelio family, Internet and worldwide stars including Joe Wicks the fitness coach, Sir Tom Moore, the 100 year old army veteran and the oldest man to raise over £33 million for charity along with many others who fight for their rights and the voices of their fans and supporters!
Thank you for reading this, the real BrandyC, out!
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