As she takes to the ice, newly-toned Gemma Collins is going all out to make it to the final
She’s been cruelly mocked since being revealed as a contestant in the latest series of Dancing on Ice – but size 18 Gemma Collins says that she can’t wait to show her doubters how good she is.
Following the announcement of this year's line-up, critics lashed out at Gemma, with one posting online, "Dumbo on ice!", while another wrote, "God help the poor bloke who has to pick her up." Another posted, "She'll quit after a couple of days because she's bone idle."
But the reality star - who infamously quit I'm A Celebrity after just 72 hours - is adamant she can make it.
She says, “There’s been tears and tough moments, but I’m loving it. I’m so at one with the ice. Everyone that ever doubted me will eat their words. I’ve made it my mission to prove everyone wrong.
“There’s a hell of a lot of pressure. People think I’m going to not do it, or walk before the show starts. But I’m just going to get out there and show everyone what I’ve been doing.”
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 Gemma, 37 - who was size 20 but has already lost a dress size - adds that the weight loss and toning from the intense training schedule is a bonus.
She says, “I’ve been shrinking! I’m losing it in places I didn’t think it would come off. You’re on the ice, so it’s like fat freezing for your body. I’m eating more than usual though, because you burn it all off. I’m happy.”
Gemma has been dating TOWIE co-star James ‘Arg’ Argent, 31, on/off for nine years and recently told Closer the pair would spend Christmas together and that she’d love him to propose.
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And she says that the pair are looking forward to taking a well-deserved holiday when DOI is over, before trying for a baby in the autumn.
She says, “Arg is very proud of me for doing the show. We’ve had really busy schedules so we’ve been apart, but he phones me all the time. After this show ends, we’re going to have a bloody good long holiday. We’re going to Dubai and the Maldives and we’ll take a couple of weeks off. We’re really looking forward to it.
“Then towards the end of next year I think we’ll want a baby. We’ll have our holiday, and we’re going to New York in August too. We’ll see what happens."
Dancing on Ice starts on Sunday 6 January at 6pm on ITV.
Read even more about Dancing on Ice in this week's Closer - out now.