She’s already a car saleswoman-turned millionaire reality star and showbiz icon – and Gemma Collins’ career may be about to reach even dizzier heights, as it’s rumoured she’s in talks to join the next series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The former TOWIE star – who previously appeared on I’m A Celebrity! and Dancing On Ice – has made no secret of the fact she’d love to add Strictly to her list of reality TV appearances.
She revealed in May, “Do you know what, I would love to do it. They had a plus-size girl on there last year. I would do Strictly, so we’ll see what happens.”
Now insiders say that Gemma – also known as “The GC” – is hoping to join the hit BBC show as a new goal and distraction from recent troubles.
A source says, “Gemma certainly hasn’t had an easy time these last few years. There’s been a lot of broken dreams and detours in life that she wasn’t expecting, but she’ll never be a victim – and she’s already putting a positive spin on things.
“She’s got some really exciting new career goals that she’s focusing on, including having her own talk show, going back to the US, and hopefully this stint on Strictly. Gem has said that Strictly would be a dream come true and help her heal from her heartbreaks. But either way, she is feeling more fired up than ever to keep pushing her brand and business empire, by working hard and loving what she does. She feels she should be grateful.”
It has been a tumultuous few years for Gemma, 42. While she found fame on TOWIE as an original cast member in 2011 and secured her own reality show off the back of it, she was in a notoriouslyon/off toxic relationship with former co-star James Argent. They were first linked in 2012 and after an extended spell of break-ups and make-ups, they rekindled their romance in 2017 before splitting for good three years later.
Their relationship breakdown is thought to have been prompted by Arg’s well-publicised addiction troubles and claims he had been verbally abusive towards Gemma, after she took to Instagram to reveal text messages where he’d cruelly labelled her a “hippo” and a “fat f**k”.
However, her heart was healed when she rekindled with old flame Rami Hawash, getting engaged in December 2021. But rumours swirled that they may be on the rocks when eagle-eyed fans noticed they had unfollowed one another on Instagram two months ago.
While the pair have shut down speculation after their recent sun-kissed trip to Mykonos, there appears to be more heartache for Gemma, after she admitted in an Instagram post that her long-standing issues with PCOS mean she still “can’t get pregnant”. The update follows her devastation after suffering a third miscarriage in 2020.
“I’ve been trying to have a baby for nearly a decade now, only to have my hopes dashed time and again,” she said.But while she hasn’t biologically become a mum, she has revelled in her role as stepmum to Rami’s son Tristan, four. And insiders say that Gemma would be keen to take on Strictly to give her a new lease of life and something different to focus on.
The source says, “Gem says she’d love to learn a new skill to take her mind off things and to push herself out of her comfort zone. Of course, there’s always the ‘Strictly curse’ risk, but she’s not worried about that. Just because she and Rami have ditched wedding plans for now, she’s assured friends that everything is fine between them – it’s just not a priority. Gem had wanted to get married if they were going to have a child together – but as that hasn’t panned out for them yet, the wedding’s on ice.
“Rami is really supportive – he’s so impressed by Gem’s work ethic and how she’s been there for him throughout all his health issues. He’s also extremely grateful for the love and affection she’s shown to Tristan, and they have a great bond. Although she hasn’t completely ruled out adoption or surrogacy, it’s not part of any conversation she’s having right now.”
Gemma’s also been open about her weight struggles over the years, recently telling fans that despite people suggesting gastric surgery, she is determined to lose weight naturally.
“This is going to take me a while, but I really feel positive this time. Health is wealth,” she said. She also recently shared a bikini pic which she captioned “Carb Barbie”, where she proudly showed off her physique.
And our source adds that she is hopeful Strictly could boost her health kick.
“Although she comes across as super-confident, the truth is that the constant yo-yo dieting has been getting to her. She’s sick of obsessing over her weight and making herself feel guilty about what she can eat – she’s realised that life is too short.
“Strictly would be a great way to find a new appreciation for her body and what it can do for her, rather than just appearances, and get fitter, so that would be an added bonus – though Rami obviously loves her no matter what.”