Gemma Collins’ ultimatum to end her toxic cycle with Arg

They’ve been on and off for more than ten years – one minute professing their love and plans to start a family together, the next hurling insults at one another over social media and splitting up. But last week, rumours that Gemma Collins and James “Arg” Argent were back together began swirling after they were pictured together on a flirty dinner date.

However, despite her seemingly cosy reunion with Arg, 32, insiders say Gemma Collins, 39, is refusing to give her ex an easy ride following their latest split in July. A source says, “Gemma has upped her standards for Arg, hoping that he’ll realise what he’s lost. She wants them to make it work for good this time.”

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While Gemma and Arg had previously expressed their hope that 2020 could be the year they got engaged – and even tragically suffered a miscarriage during lockdown – fans were left shocked in July when Gemma shared a screenshot of messages between her and Arg in which he cruelly branded the plus-sized star a “hippo” and a “fat f**k” in a series of texts, after she accused him of taking another woman for dinner.

Although Arg is reportedly trying to reconcile with Gemma – who he credited for “saving his life” by helping him get on the straight and narrow prior to his Thailand rehab stint for addiction issues in January – insiders say the star will only get back with him if he pulls out all the stops.

The source says, “Given their history of splits and getting back together, it’s been more of a question of when they’ll get back together rather than if, despite Gemma’s insistence that she won’t give in easily.

“Arg is desperate to get her back, and has told her he’ll do whatever it takes to make it work, but Gemma is playing the long game this time around and is adamant that unless she sees real action and changes, she won’t buckle and is standing strong. She doesn’t want the toxic cycle of make-ups and break-ups to waste any more of her time.

“She wants him to graft for her and know that he can’t just mistreat her, then go have his fun and expect her to come running back when he snaps his fingers. She doesn’t want Arg to mess up again.”

It was recently reported that Arg is “broke” following his year from hell, which began with his near-fatal overdose in October, followed by a third rehab stint for his long-term drug addiction battle.

But Gemma – who’s worth £5million – has been thriving, with the third series of her reality show being aired, while she’s also launching a Christmas jumper range and has landed a six-figure deal to be the face of budget airline Wizz Air. Closer previously reported how the latest split from Arg had prompted a new lease of life in her, revealing on a podcast that she’d felt the best she had in a long time, and showing off the results of her 3st weight loss with a sexed-up image revamp on her Instagram.

The star recently spoke out about just what it would take for someone to catch her attention, saying in an interview, “I expect the works – a chauffeur-driven Bentley, my favourite bottle of perfume, and the car to smell of nice perfume when I got in it. I would expect hundreds and thousands of roses.”

And on a recent episode of her ITVBe show, viewers watched her attempt to rekindle a spark with former flame Laurence Hearn, who she originally met during her 2018 stint on Celebs Go Dating. But during their date, she criticised his bouquet of flowers, saying they looked like they were from “a petrol station” and refused his offer of Prosecco, saying “I only drink Champagne” – before blocking him on social media after the date.

And insiders say that turning 40 in January, and wanting to become a mum, has made Gemma set the bar high for what it’ll take for Arg – or anyone – to win her back.

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The source says, “Gemma’s in a great place physically, emotionally and financially. She’s regained her confidence and knows her body clock is ticking, so is refusing to waste any more time with anyone who won’t treat her the way she feels she deserves to be treated.

“Should she get back together with Arg, she has come up with an ultimatum that includes a long list of things she wants to see from him, such as getting himself set up with a stable income, so he’s not forced to depend on her, and continuing his therapy and addiction work. She even wants him to finally pass his driving test and get a car to prove that he’d be capable of being a hands-on dad. He’ll have to completely overhaul his lifestyle to be in with a chance.”

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