He hailed his long-time friend Mark Wright as his “inspiration” last week, as he admitted to fans that he has an “eating disorder”. James “Arg” Argent also revealed that he’s considering gastric surgery to save his life, after reaching over 26st during the series of lockdowns over the past year – adding that he can now barely tie his own shoelaces.
After emotionally confessing that he “didn’t want to die” and saying an op was the only way he could lose weight, Arg praised TV presenter-turned-fitness trainer Mark, 34 – who arranged Arg’s last rehab stint in Thailand following his near-fatal overdose in 2019 – saying, “Mark is my inspiration. He’s got his life together, he’s fit and healthy, he’s got a gorgeous wife and a successful career. There’s no reason why I can’t achieve all of those things too when I’ve lost weight.”
However, the former TOWIE star failed to mention on/off girlfriend Gemma Collins, 40, in his interview, despite her having supported him through three rehab stints and making a life-saving call for an ambulance following his last overdose.
Arg, 33, recently celebrated his year-long sobriety from cocaine and alcohol addiction and, as Closer reported at the time, Gemma had hoped he’d mark the milestone with a wedding proposal.
But pals say his failure to acknowledge the support of his long-suffering ex – who has endured a traumatic start to the year with her dad, Alan, hospitalised with COVID-19 – has “really hurt” her.
A source says, “Gemma has been through torture as a result of Arg’s addiction over the past eight years. She was the one left picking up the pieces and supporting him through his darkest times.
“She’s still tormented by memories of what Arg put her though and felt the hurt all over again with his recent snub. Of course she’s happy he’s getting the help he needs, but his apparent disregard for her, even as a friend, while putting Mark on a pedestal yet again has left her feeling really hurt.”
Check out: James Argent's weight loss journey from OG TOWIE star to English Channel swimmer
James Argent weight loss journey - slider
1 of 16James Argent - 2010
Arg is an OG TOWIE star and when the series first aired back in 2010 he was in a relationship with Lydia Bright.
2 of 16James Argent - 2014
James was suspended from the reality show that threw him into the limelight following allegations that he failed a drug test.
3 of 16James Argent - 2015
The reality star decided to switch up his lifestyle and enter rehab; he even spent Christmas Day at The Priory (the same rehab facility Katie Price spent time in during September 2018). A few months later the reality star revealed on This Morning that it was "the best decision" he has ever made.
4 of 16James Argent - 2016 (March)
In 2016 after gaining weight, Arg attended two weight loss retreats; one in Norfolk and the other in Ibiza. After his fitness overhaul the TOWIE star dropped from 19st 1lb to 16st. He also went from 48 to 40 inches around his waist.
5 of 16James Argent - 2016 (July)
Arg told The Sunthat waking up at 6am helped him feel like a "new man". He explained: "I am not going to lie - it has been incredibly tough and, yes, I have had the odd lapse."But I am thrilled to have lost three-stone and I do genuinely feel like a new man."
6 of 16James Argent - 2016 (October)
At the end of 2016, Arg confessed on Instagram that he was "gutted at how unfit" he was. However he ended his post on a positive and insisted: "I'll get there and maintain it this time!"
7 of 16James Argent - 2017
In 2017 Arg flew out to a rehab facility in Thailand. He spent 10 weeks out there and manages to lose another stone. Arg's friend Jack Tweed revealed all the fitness activities he had been doing during his time abroad."He said he's been doing loads of stuff like Muay Thai boxing, jungle trekking, abseiling down waterfalls and zip lining."He's been eating really healthy food and he's lost over a stone. Arg is in a really good place at the moment and I hope he keeps it up, for his sake and his family's sake," he told new! magazine.
8 of 16James Argent - 2018
The on-off TOWIE couple (Arg and Gemma) split in July 2018 but then reunited the following month. After getting back together, Arg decided to take a break from the ITVBe show and seek treatment. A source told The Sun: "James was under a dark cloud recently and has made the brave decision to enter back into a programme to help him get back on track."He has been attending regular therapy and secondary care at an outpatient treatment facility in London."
9 of 16James Argent - 2019
Despite struggling with his weight, Arg posted a video of the GC snoring and apparently fat-shamed her. It resulted in him being dumped but the pair reunited and managed to move on from the incident.
10 of 16James Argent - 2019
In April, weight loss professional Steven Miller revealed he was concerned about James Argent's weight and even warned he could be on 'death row'.
11 of 16James Argent - 2019
Following the warning the reality star revealed he was taking up boxing to kick start his weight loss. He then vowed on This Morning to take control of his weight after Dr Ranj revealed he was significantly obese, long term he needed to lose 10 stone and drop 17 inches off his waist.
12 of 16James Argent - 2019
Despite being dumped by the GC earlier on in the year after fat-shaming her, he then appeared to make more mean comments about her figure on her TV show. Fans urged Gemma to split from her boyfriend following his 'disgusting' insults.
13 of 16James Argent - 2019
In August as Arg prepared to swim the English Channel for Stand Up To Cancer it came to light that in the past two years he has gained ten stone.
14 of 16James Argent - 2019
Although they didn't swim the entire English Channel, the Stand Up To Cancer team got pretty far before the weather conditions made them cut their journey short. Following his stint, Arg revealed he was heading back to the gym before teasing bigger things are on the horizon in 2020.He wrote on Instagram: "I'm going to have the biggest comeback of 2020!!! "After a few years of absence I'm now officially a member of @davidlloydchigwellofficial My 1st swim ud83cudfca♂ufe0f since attempting the epic challenge of the #EnglishChannel Its good to be back! ud83dude4cud83cudffd❤ufe0f".
15 of 16James Argent - 2020
At the beginning of 2020 it was reported that Arg flew out to Thailand and entered rehab following allegations of a 'second overdose'.
16 of 16James Argent - 2020
While flogging curries on Instagram, Arg showed off his impressive five-stone weight loss.
After returning from rehab last year, Arg – who fuelled reconciliation rumours after being snapped with his ex in a restaurant in October – credited Gemma for saving his life with her “tough love” as he revealed how she “refused to cover up” his drug problems. He even vowed to marry and start a family with the Diva Forever star – who tragically suffered a miscarriage in July – last year, and said, “I really feel for Gemma because she’s had to go through so much.”
But their turbulent relationship came to an explosive end in July following yet another war of words when he labelled her a “hippo” and a “fat f**k” in a slew of angry textsthat she made public. He’d previously mocked her weight by saying she had “more rolls than Greggs”.
And psychotherapist Noel McDermott warns that Arg’s addictive personality should spark alarm bells for Gemma.
He says, “All addiction damages the capacity for intimacy, and some relationships can end when the addict recovers.
“When it comes to Arg and Mark, comparing himself to anybody is a sure way to a relapse: compare and despair is a term we use. Good mental health advice across the board is do not compare your insides to somebody’s outsides. The only person you should compare yourself to is the person you used to be. Idolising Mark isn’t helping him, it’s doing the opposite.”
WATCH: Amy and Joanna spill the tea on their 'day off' in the villa | Love Island Secrets
READ MORE
Geordie Shore's Sophie Kasaei shares totally nude photo and WOW
Noel adds, “But Arg has done well in giving up drugs and alcohol. It’s very common to meet people who replace one addiction with another. They just do the same, but in different ways. The relationship between food and alcoholism is well known.
“Overeating in men recovering from alcoholism is probably the biggest relapse that happens. They’ve ditched the alcohol, but they have just replaced it with food. I really empathise with Arg. Food is a lot more complicated than drugs.
“You can’t just advise people not to eat, they would die. Recognising that he has a problem and asking for help is a really important step.”
Get the best celeb interviews in Closer magazine each week.