Pals fears for Gemma Collins and James Argent’s secret heart-to-hearts

They had a passionate decade-long romance and, following their explosive split in 2020, have each moved on with their lives in different ways. But last week James “Arg” Argent revealed he and ex Gemma Collins, 41, had been back in contact, following his devastating relapse in his battle with alcohol addiction.

In an interview last week, Arg – who has lost more than 15st in the last year after a gastric bypass procedure – detailed how he’d drank alcohol for the first time in two years, saying, “I had a very bad relapse after having some cravings for a while, but instead of ringing my therapist, I had a drink for the first time in two years. Addicts always say one drink is never enough – if it was, I wouldn’t be an addict – but unfortunately it just escalated from there.”

Friends such as Mark Wright and Ferne McCann have reportedly supported the reality star and singer, none more so than former TOWIE star Gemma, from whom he split in November 2020.

A source says, “Arg has come so far over the past few years, and has a lot to be proud of. But he’s been really struggling since Christmas, and unfortunately last month he broke his sobriety and began drinking again. Everyone is rallying round and will help James through this.

“And the minute Gemma heard, the news hit her like a thunderbolt. She couldn’t believe he’d relapsed and reached out to him straightaway, then went to see him a few days later. Despite their fiery relationship, she genuinely cares about him. She’s seen him a couple of times in recent weeks, secretly at his house and out of the limelight, and they’ve had some heart to hearts, and shared phone calls and texts.

“She has a way with James, because she knows him so well and she’s ‘no-nonsense’. She can see through him and he listens to her. She’s helping pull him back from this low point.”

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Since splitting from Arg, Gemma has moved on with businessman Rami Hawash, and the pair got engaged in December. And sources say that Rami, 45 – who Gemma first dated in 2011, before getting back with him last year – understands and is supportive of Gemma’s concern for Arg.

The source adds, “Rami is totally onboard and is happy for James and Gem to be in touch. He knows that Gemma is happy with him, and there are no feelings there for James any more, but that they just share a special bond. He totally trusts her and knows there’s nothing to worry about.”

Gemma supported Arg through his drug struggles, with Arg calling her his “angel”. In return, she called him “the love of [her] life”, and told Closer in 2018, “I know we’ll get married, I can’t wait for a big white wedding.”

But the couple also split multiple times during their relationship, having wars of words on social media and even having shouting matches outside their homes. Arg even once detailed how they’d come to blows over breakfast, saying, “She comes over to my plate, picks up the smoked salmon, opens the window and chucks it out – she’s an absolute nutcase. We’ll have a row and she’ll go and get the locks changed!”

Their relationship eventually came to an end in summer 2020, with Gemma sharing screenshots of texts sent by Arg, where he cruelly called her a “fat f--k” and a “hippo”. The couple also went through heartache when Gemma had two miscarriages – one in 2012 and the other during lockdown in 2020.

But according to sources, despite Rami’s blessing, other pals are hoping that Gemma and Arg being back in each other’s lives doesn’t bring back past hurt or drama that they went through during their relationship.

The source adds, “As much as Gemma and Arg care about each other, they can really come to blows too. They did have a very toxic split, and, while there aren’t any feelings there any more, they are almost like brother and sister at this point, and they can wind each other up. So friends are hoping that them reconnecting isn’t going to knock them off track and affect their happiness on their new paths.

“Gem also went through some really traumatic times with Arg, such as her miscarriage and their break-ups. Friends fear that old hurt and the painful memories associated with that time could come back and get her down. They’ve never seen her happier with Rami, and they don’t want anything to jeopardise that.”

Read more in the latest issue of Closer magazine - OUT NOW.