Gemma Collins

Gemma Collins
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Born:	31 January 1981
Hometown:	Brentwood, Essex
Occupation:	Reality TV star
Celebrity Big Brother 17
Entered:	Day 1
Status:	Housemate
Nomination(s) Received:	3

Gemma Collins is a housemate from the seventeenth series of Celebrity Big Brother. She entered on Day 1.

Background

Gemma is best known for being a cast member of the ITVBe semi-reality programme The Only Way Is Essex, joining the show in its second series in 2011. In 2014, she took part in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! but withdrew after just three days of taking part in the show.

Profile

What sort of housemate do you think you are going to be? A very fun housemate, up for the banter! Let’s not argue, let’s go in and have a great time.. I’m up for meeting new people and let’s see what’s going to happen. There is going to be drama, there will be arguments, time will tell! Bring it on, I can’t wait to get in there!

Is it quite nice not to have a script, and to just be yourself? It is going to be really nice, I think since leaving TOWIE it’s been nice to find Gemma again. I’m older now and I’ve massively changed as a person, I’ve matured, I’ve grown up and I run two businesses now. My life has totally changed, and it was a little bit difficult when I was on Towie because we couldn’t show we were famous, but I had become famous. In the end I was acting, I didn’t know who I was! I was living two different lives. You go mad! Obviously on TOWIE you couldn’t be seen to be a famous person, there was a few of us on the show that had rocketed. Love Towie, I will always love Towie, but I left in the summer, was great going back at Christmas, but being Gemma suits me just fine now. I don’t need to perform for anyone, and I’m hoping people will see that side of me.

What do you think the public perception is of you? I think people think I’m brash, that I’m loud and love an argument, but if you ask the people that are closest to me and the people I worked with on TOWIE: Jess, Bobby, Billy, Sam, Ferne, Chloe – they all know that I’ve got a big heart of gold, and I’m totally opposite to what I was on the show, and they’ve all said to me show them the Gemma we all know and love. For me, I’m not going into the house playing up to my reputation.

What’s your biggest fear in the House? I haven’t got any fears. The girl I am today has been through so much, that nothing can shock or surprise me. I can’t see anything happening that will weird me out.

Which rumoured housemates jump out at you for being interesting, or you know them? If Jonathan is in the House, I’m definitely going to ask him how the Kardashians eat all day but stay so slim, I would love to know that! Bring it on; I’m going into the house with no expectations. Having a few months out of TV has been nice to get back to Gemma. Whoever they (the housemates) want to be will be just fine by me, and hopefully I will be fine just by them. And that’s really where I’m at.

Have you got any habits that may annoy other people? I’m a bit messy; I’m not going to lie. Because I’m a creative person - I design clothes - I love having all my stuff around me. I’m bringing so many pairs of sequin shoes with me, if it’s a dull day I’ll just stick my sequin shoes on! Anything to keep me going! I really really can’t wait to get in there. Bring it on!

Will you put makeup on every morning, or wear trackies? I wouldn’t say I’m a tracksuit girl, I love my loungewear, everything I’ve brought is glam in the house, I’m not going to be walking around in ball gowns or dresses… I’m not worried about people seeing me without makeup, it doesn’t bother me, I’m just a normal girl. Happy for people to see me warts and all!

How do you feel about your weight these days? I say to people now, you wouldn’t tell Adele to lose weight, Adele is perfectly just fine as she was when she busted onto the scene years ago, yeah she’s slimmed down a bit, but Adele’s never going to be skinny. I’m very tired of people going on about my weight. It has been Christmas, I’m not going to lie, I’ve eaten and drunk. I’ve eaten and drunk everything I wanted to! I knew I was coming onto Big Brother but I thought f**k it, I’m going to have a good Christmas and there’s more to me than my weight. I’m never going to be skinny, I don’t want to be skinny - that’s not being detrimental to slim girls – I’ve only got to look at a cake and I put on a stone! I’m just so done with the weight thing, I am as I am!

I’m never ill at the doctor, yes I’m big and I don’t eat salad all day long, but for me to lose weight will take quite a bit of time and I don’t always have that time to dedicate every day of my life to a diet regime, life isn’t like that. And yeah I’ve put on a bit of weight over Christmas, I’m looking forward to maybe getting a bit off in the house, but you know I’m just happy being me! I’ve never said I’m a model, I was just a car dealer from Romford that ended up on a reality show, that has now become famous, and people kinda like me. F**k all this dieting! I love my food, I love socialising, I love drinking, I’m a real foodie. Please stop going on about my weight, it’s boring! Unless someone was going to pay me five million pound, I have no incentive to do a fitness DVD! Even if I did a fitness DVD, I would want to do a realistic one. The magazines can make me as skinny as they want, and as fat as they want! I know so many people who edit their pictures before putting them on Twitter and Instagram, we’re living in a false kind of reality, yeah I’m a size 18-20 but I’m happy! I’ll get up those steps in the Big Brother House! The more people who tell me to lose weight; the more I’m not going to do it.

Adele is amazing. Look at Alison Hammond, she’s perfect the way she is! I’d love to do Strictly. I think Alison would look weird as slim; she looks great! I think Claire Richards was much more attractive when she was bigger. 

You’ve had a turbulent love life, where are we at with it at the moment? I’ve been dating for three months, I’m very happy; I’m not rushing into anything. I don’t know what will happen when I go into the Big Brother House; I’m away for a month. Happy, calm, peaceful. Looking forward to 2016 being a good year. I had a very turbulent relationship with Alex last year, so over it now. My confidence is massively back. I’ve been dating Stephen for three months, I feel very comfortable with him and we’re really good friends. Who knows where this is going to go!

Do you think there will be any romance between any of the other housemates in the House? I don’t know 100% who is going in, but if I see romance bubbling I will be helping that love along. I’m the romance guru! I’m all for love and romance. There will be arguments in there; I was in TOWIE for years! Who know what’s going to happen. Bring it on!

Would you like to win Big Brother? I would love to win Big Brother. It would be a great start to the year, but if I don’t win it and hopefully I’ll be in there for a bit of time, it will give people an insight into the Gemma I am now, not the TOWIE Gemma. I’m looking forward to it.

Do you think you could win? I’m going in there to win it; I never went into the Jungle to win it, never, I’m going into Big Brother to win it, definitely. It’s going to be crazy!

Trivia

• Gemma is the sixth The Only Way Is Essex star to enter the Celebrity Big Brother House.
• Gemma and fellow housemate David Gest have taken part in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.