She appeared to be having the time of her life on her American adventure, cruising around LA in a Rolls Royce, shopping on Rodeo Drive with Kim Kardashian’s BFF Jonathan Cheban and dining in Hollywood’s luxurious Chateau Marmont restaurant.
And the timing of last week’s trip proved a welcome diversion from her latest split from on/off boyfriend James “Arg” Argent.
Arg was reportedly sacked from TOWIE earlier this month, after testing positive for cocaine in a routine drugs test, just nine months after a third stint in rehab to try to overcome his demons.
But he has vowed to focus on his health and is currently filming for ITV’s weight-loss show Celebs On The Farm– previously Sugar Free Farm, which Gemma signed up for in 2016.
A source says, “Gemma was feeling pretty low, and the situation with Arg was playing on her mind. She wants to help him, but knows he needs time alone to work through his issues. So she was determined to throw herself into her LA trip, to distract from her heartache.”
CHECK OUT axed TOWIE stars - where are they now?
CLOSER axed TOWIE stars - where are they now Harry head
1 of 26Harry Derbridge, series 1- 3 and 12
Harry Derbridge was a Towie original and still holds a very special place in our hearts. He made a welcome return to the show as Bobby Norris's love interest but, allegedly, cheated on him.
2 of 26Harry Derbridge, 2018
Harry now works it as a make-up artist. Is it us, or does he look like he might have had a little help with lip fillers?
3 of 26Maria Fowler, series 1 - 3
Maria, on the left with Joey Essex and Chloe Sims in 2011, was in the show from the get-go but her TV career was rocked when it was alleged she'd worked as an escort. She's since said she quit 'by mutual consent' after she refused an on-screen romance with Mick Norcross.
4 of 26Maria Fowler, 2018
Maria's now a proud mummy, engaged to be married and a self-proclaimed permanent make-up artist.
5 of 26Dan Osborne, series 8 - 14
Dan Osborne, pictured here with James Argent in 2013, managed seven series on the show. He was given the boot after a series of recordings, claiming to show Dan being verbally abusive towards his ex-girlfriend Megan Tomlin, came to light.
6 of 26Dan Osborne, 2018
Dan is still in the spotlight due to his relationship with ex-EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa. In May 2018 he described their marriage as "unhappy".
7 of 26Amber Dowding, series 18 - 21
Amber was part of a mega cull of seven Towie characters in January 2018. She claimed that she and her boyfriend Chris Clark were cut because they were happy. They've now split and Chris has reappeared on the show.
8 of 26Amber Dowding, 2018
If Amber's social media is anything to go by, she now appears to mostly be on holiday. Pretty goals from where we're sitting.
9 of 26Mike Hassini, series 16 - 18 and 21
Mike Hassini brought a hot bod to Towie and...not much else. He was cut in January 2018 due to a lack of storylines as he was loved-up outside the telly show.
10 of 26Mike Hassini, 2018
Mike is working as a PT, still loved-up, and still has a very hot bod. He has subsequently appeared briefly in gym scenes on the show.
11 of 26Jack Rigden, series 20 - 21
Jack Rigden tried hard, so hard, to make an impression on Towie but his lack of on-screen romance and agg saw him get very little camera time. He was part of the big cull of January 2018.
12 of 26Jack Rigden, 2018
Jack's Instagram bio describes him as an "absolute geezer". Which is nice.
13 of 26Jordan Brook, series 20 - 21
Jordan and Jack were brought in as friends of Megan McKenna. When she quit, they were left without any storylines.
14 of 26Jordan Brooks, 2018
Jordan is now dating Sofia Filipe of Ex On The Beach fame. Aww.
15 of 26Ricky Rayment, series 4 - 14
We still think very fondly of Ricky. His rocky relationship with Jess Wright was a huge part of the show but when they finally broke up, well... Ricky left the show "by mutual agreement"with Towie bosses.
16 of 26Ricky Rayment, 2018
Ricky now seems to mainly go fishing.
17 of 26Tom Pearce, series 5 - 13
Remember when Tom Pearce dated Lauren Goodger following her split from Mark Wright? That was an odd time. He was quietly shown the back doorof the show in 2014.
18 of 26Tom Pearce, 2018
Honestly? We're not 100% sure what Tom is actually doing these days. He used to work in the City, and his holidays certainly look pretty epic, so maybe that.
19 of 26Grace Andrews, series 11 - 12
Grace almost had a romantic relationship with Lewis Bloor (shudder) and that was the beginning and end of her time on Towie.
20 of 26Grace Andrews, 2018
Grace is now involved in a semi-permanent make-up company. Those Towie stars must really hate cleanser.
21 of 26Fran Parman, series 11 - 16
Fran's original romantic interest was Tom Pearce but he stepped aside to allow Diags to woo her. Bad luck. Their relationship was turbulent but apparently not turbulent enough for show producers. Diags stayed, she went.
22 of 26Fran Parman, 2018
Fran and Diags split and she now hangs out in clothing that does not look very practical.
23 of 26Jasmin Walia, series 1 and 7-17
Jasmin managed eight series until she was given the boot. In 2015 her agent stated: "TOWIE is very storyline dependent and Jasmin did not have much going on that we could show on screen."Ouch. She went on to audition for The X Factor. It did not go well. She also took part in reality show Desi Rascals, that lasted for one series.
24 of 26Jasmin Walia, 2018
Jasmin is still being papped, which is more than can be said for some of the other ex-Towie stars.
25 of 26Jake Hall, series 14 - 17
Jake's time of TOWIE was mainly characterised by him being mean to our sweet Essex princess Chloe Lewis including many accusations of infidelity, plus rumours he'd slept with Megan McKenna.
26 of 26Jake Hall, 2018
Jake subsequently became engaged to former Real Housewives of Cheshire star Misse Beqiri. They have a baby together but in December 2018Jake was given a restraining order following a bust up with his fiancée.
And insiders say that after Jonathan – who Gemma bonded with during their stint together in the Celebrity Big Brother house – arranged a visit to Kim’s favourite cosmetic surgeon, it left the reality star craving a total body overhaul.
Bragging about her consultation with A-list doctor Simon Ourian, she told her 1.3m Instagram followers, “They’ve all been here. Now I’m here, and I can’t wait to see the results,” adding, “I’ve lost 2.5st, but the face don’t get any thinner.” She then told the surgeon to “suck the fat out of my face, pronto.”
Now sources close to Gemma, 38, claim she is hell-bent on an extreme makeover, wanting head-to-toe liposuction – including having fat removed from her ‘double chin’ – along with an arm, thigh and bum lift, a boob job, calf reduction and skin tightening on her stomach, a shopping list totalling a staggering £100k.
Our insider adds, “Gemma initially went in to ask Dr Ourian to help slim her face down, but after he told her what he could do for her, she said she couldn’t wait to get under the knife and look like Kim K.”
Gemma’s no stranger to cosmetic procedures, regularly getting filler and Botox. She even splashed out £2,000 in 2015 on a designer vagina – insisting the procedure had boosted her confidence and made her feel like a movie star.
And insiders say the size 20 celeb – who’s endured a lengthy battle with her weight, yo-yoing between a size 14 and a size 24 – is convinced Dr Ourian can help her slim down to a size 14/16.
But pals fear she’s only considering such drastic measures to shift her focus from her relationship woes. Despite vowing to get married and start a family, she and Arg have endured a roller coaster romance, with numerous break-ups and public spats – most shockingly when Arg bombarded the Dancing On Ice star with fat-shaming messages earlier this year.
Insiders recently claimed Gemma had dumped 31-year-old Arg in a bid to shock him into leading a healthier lifestyle. She was snapped leaving his mum’s house days before jetting to LA, fuelling speculation they’d reunited, but they’ve since unfollowed each other on Instagram, raising another question mark over their relationship.
READ MORE celeb news
Billie Faiers CAUGHT 'photoshopping' her waist in holiday snap
Shamed Coronation Street star Bruno Langley moves in with estranged wife of £6million fraudster
WATCH Geordie Shore's Chloe Ferry and Sam Gowland play Mr and Mrs
The source adds, “Gemma says the surgery will mark a fresh chapter and help her move on from Arg. Her friends have urged her not make any snap decisions, but she insists it’s all part of her new journey. She’s all smiles in public, but secretly she’s heartbroken.
"She desperately wanted a baby and marriage with Arg. She’s so sad things haven’t turned out how she hoped, but she’d rather throw herself into work and changing her looks than sit at home crying.”
Read even more about Gemma's new life in LA in this week's Closer magazine - out now.