Beaming from ear-to-ear, Gemma Collins and boyfriend Rami Hawash looked happier than ever as they enjoyed an idyllic holiday in Cornwall earlier this month.
And Gemma, 40, proved just how much Rami meant to her by celebrating his birthday with three cakes, a horde of Versace gifts and a heartfelt message to him on Instagram – alongside a collection of sweet throwback photos of the two – with a soundtrack of the Lionel Richie song You Are My Destiny.
Gemma wrote in her tribute to Rami, “It was you all along” – which fans have taken as a dig at Gemma’s former flame James “Arg” Argent, with whom she had an infamous on/off relationship for 10 years before finally calling it quits for good last November.
Arg, 33, and Gemma battled weight issues together while they were an item – with Gemma opening up about her struggles on multiple occasions and breaking down in tears on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories over her insecurities. When she and Arg split last summer, she revealed shocking WhatsApp screenshots showing how he’d cruelly called her a “fat f**k”, a “hippo” and saying she had “more rolls than Greggs”.
But in Cornwall earlier this month, Gemma looked carefree and confident – sharing pictures of herself in a swimsuit and strutting along the beach in shorts and a tank top.
And sources say that Gemma – who has found a new love for fitness this year, recently sharing videos of her workouts on social media – has her new relationship with Rami to thank for finding peace with her body.
Check out: 11 jaw-dropping TOWIE couples we completely forgot about
11 TOWIE couples you completely forgot about - slider
1 of 11Mark Wright and Sam Faiers
Mark and Sam's on/off relationship goes all the way back to when she was 16 and they met on MySpace (aw, those were the days). They briefly dated during their time on TOWIE but were never able to give things a proper go before he quit the show in 2011.
2 of 11Kirk Norcross and Amy Childs
Kirk and Amy's flirtationship was one of the main storylines during the first season of TOWIE and they eventually briefly dated before splitting in 2011. In a 2013 appearance on This Morning, Kirk admitted, "I will still love Amy until the day I die - she is literally like the girl version of me. When it didn't work out, it broke my heart really... and it wasn't her fault, it was both of our fault."
3 of 11Gemma Collins and Charlie King
Gemma and Charlie briefly dated in 2012 but split after she grew concerned about his friendship with Bobby Norris. Two years later, Charlie came out as gay during an appearance on This Morning. He's still friends with Gemma and even admitted in 2017 that he would consider being the GC's sperm donor if she asked.What a turn of events that would be.
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4 of 11Lauren Goodger and Tom Pearce
Remember the days when Joey Essex's BFF Tom Pearce romanced basically every woman within a 10 mile radius of Brentwood? Lauren Goodger became one his many conquests following her split from Mark Wright but they hit the rocks when she caught wind of him bragging about their rendezvous.
5 of 11Mario Falcone and Chloe Sims
It's fair to say Chloe Sims has been unlucky in love over the years but things looked up for her when she began dating close pal Mario. Things moved quick for the pair and she even admitted she loved him - causing friction with BFF Lauren Pope who'd previously dated Mario - but he wasn't ready to settle down and called things off.
6 of 11Harry Derbidge and Bobby Norris
After three years away from the TOWIE scene, OG cast member Harry Derbidge returned as Bobby Norris' boyfriend (in some very skimpy swimwear, nonetheless) during the cast's annual jaunt to Marbs.Their relationship ended in tears though when Harry confessed to sleeping with his ex while on holiday in Tenerife.
7 of 11Dan Osborne and Lucy Mecklenburgh
They've now found love with soap star other halves Jacqueline Jossa and Ryan Thomas but before that, Dan Osborne and Lucy Mecklenburgh were an item.They began dating in 2013 but called it quits amid claims he knew about his ex Megan Tomlin being pregnant before getting with Lucy.
8 of 11Charlie Sims and Ferne McCann
Ferne McCann's on/off relationship with Chloe Sims' brother Charlie provided LOTS of dramz on TOWIE over the years, with rumours she cheated on him cropping up more than once.Eventually Charlie publicly quit the show AND dumped Ferne at the same time in a series of tweets in 2014. Awks...
9 of 11Dan Edgar and Kate Wright
Before she wed footballer Rio and became Mrs Ferdinand, Kate Wright joined TOWIE as the ex of Dan Edgar, who reportedly dumped her to star in the show.She took him back after his romances with Lauren Pope and Jess Wright but it wasn't to be and they eventually split for good.
10 of 11Shelby Tribble and Tom McDonnell
Tom McDonnell joined TOWIE alongside a whole host of newbies including Harry Lee and Chloe Brockett in 2019 and soon caught the eye of Shelby Tribble following her split from Sam Mucklow.Sam soon came back on the scene though and Shelby dumped Tom to reunite with her ex. Sam and Shelby later quit the show together and are now expecting their first child.
11 of 11James Argent and Jasmin Walia
In between his long-running relationships with Lydia Bright and Gemma Collins, James Argent was set up on a blind date with Jasmin Walia and they appeared to hit it off. Things seemed to move too quickly for his liking though, causing him to run from her house after being introduced to her parents. Oh, Arg...
A source says, “After years of insecurities, Gem is finally starting to feel content in herself, and that’s down to Rami. He reassures her she’s beautiful the way she is and says he loves her figure and Gem has finally started to believe it. She feels sexy and confident enough to get into her swimsuit – something that she didn’t always feel she wanted to do around Arg.
“The back-and-forth nature of her relationship with Arg and the toxic rows have made her realise what she wants in a partner and how she wants to be treated. In a way, she’s grateful that her relationship with Arg made her realise what she wants and convinced her that her future is with Rami. She’s feeling really happy and Rami has had a positive influence on her life.”
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In the lengthy caption for Rami’s birthday, Gemma – who has been dating him again since April, rekindling their relationship after the pair called off their engagement in 2013 – said, “You still take my breath away when I look at you just like the first night I met you down the King Will in Chigwell... the timing wasn’t right then but the universe put us back together… and I didn’t expect it one bit, just as I was really happy being alone and content you rocked back up.”
And hinting wedding bells could be on the horizon, she referred to her choice of the Lionel Richie backing track on her post, writing – “Maybe Lionel will sing this at the wedding.”
And the source adds the couple can’t wait to take the next steps in their relationship, saying, “Gemma and Rami had the best time in Cornwall – her family love him and totally approve. She’s felt the happiest she has in a long time and can see herself marrying him. She’s really hoping he pops the question soon.”