Liam ‘Gatsby’ Blackwell: I used to play it cool in dating – but it’s all about honesty

The TOWIE star shares his opinions and his life exclusively with Closer

Liam Gatsby

by Liam ‘Gatsby’ Blackwell |
Updated on

"I read an article recently about latest trend 'honesty bombing', which means people on dating apps or on first dates are upfront about what they want in their love life – whether it’s marriage, kids and a long-term relationship, or just a bit of fun. I think this is a great way to go about dating, because it saves time and cuts to the chase.

"My girlfriend, fellow TOWIE star Dani [Imbert], and I were like that when we first met around two months ago. We wanted to find out whether we were on the same page. When it came to being exclusive, we said that if we were going to give this a go, we wouldn’t 'talk' to other people on dating apps.

"I think initially Dani was shocked that we had that conversation so early on, but it was good, because we both knew where we stood. She said to me recently that this is all she’s ever wanted: someone to just be straight-up and honest.

CHECK OUT TOWIE's most iconique moments

Gallery

CLOSER: TOWIE's most iconic moments - SLIDER

Amy gives Sam a vajazzle1 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Amy gives Sam a vajazzle

There's no better place to start than the birth of the 'vajazzle', a crystal encrusted pattern that can be applied to a woman's nether regions to make their bits looks fancy and elegant. Beaut babe. After Amy Childs and Sam Faiers filmed this scene and it had aired, this was the only thing the nation was talking about, with salons across the country starting to offer the beauty treatment so fans of the show could replicate their idols and be a true Essex women.

Kirk calls Maria an extra2 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Kirk calls Maria an extra

Cast your minds back to when Kirk Norcross and Lauren Pope were a thing (dig deep guys) and Kirk fell out with Lauren's friend Maria Fowler. Obviously, the pair were fighting over literally nothing, but that didn't stop them, as they came head to head in a bar and Kirk ended up calling Maria an "extra". Savage. Things then soured further as Maria started to date Kirk's DAD Mick Norcross, joking that she was Kirk's step-mum.

Arg buys Lydia a pig3 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Arg buys Lydia a pig

When James 'Arg' Argent and Lydia Bright joined series 2 of the reality show, they instantly became fan favourites, with their romantic love story wooing the nation. So when Arg bought Lydia a micro pig named Mr Darcy to declare his love for her, they both made us think, 'Would our partner do that for us?'. However, it turned out Mr Darcy wasn't a micro pig and was in fact a normal pig, outgrowing Lydia's back garden and having to be sent to a farm to live.

Lauren and Mark get engaged4 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Lauren and Mark get engaged

How could we forget the first ever engagement of TOWIE, with Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger looking loved up and ready to take on the world. They'd been together nearly ten years before they joined the show and their love seemed to blossom as Mark popped the question, confirming his love for the Essex beauty. There was just one thing, they got engaged in a car park. Classy.

Sam declares her love for Mark5 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Sam declares her love for Mark

But there was drama just around the corner, as Sam decided she was in love with the hunk and admitted it to his face, making him question whether he wanted to be engaged to Lauren anymore.

Lauren pushes Mark into a swimming pool6 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Lauren pushes Mark into a swimming pool

Literally, the most iconic moment. Having been questioning his relationship and engagement to Lauren, Mark was having doubts, as was Lauren, after rumours of cheating began to surface and cracks started to show. As Mark headed to a pool party with the rest of the cast, leaving Lauren at home, she was having none of it and decided to unexpectedly turn up. Mark was so surprised and Lauren kicked off, following Mark's comments that she should go back home. She ended up pushing him in the pool and the pair split.

Lucy and Mario get engaged7 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Lucy and Mario get engaged

TOWIE has seen many of these but Lucy Mecklenburgh and Mario Falcone's engagement was the most romantic, extra TOWIE scene to air. Away on holiday, sunbathing on a yacht, Mario pulls out a whopper of a diamond and asks Lucy to be his wife. Despite the ups and downs in their relationship, it seemed like the pair were finally settled....

Lucy swilling Mario with red wine at a white party8 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Lucy swilling Mario with red wine at a white party

Cue the drama. Lucy and Mario's relationship becomes plagued with cheating rumours, breaks down and they eventually call it quits. Will there ever be a happy ever after on this show? Probably not.

Harry's 18th birthday party9 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Harry's 18th birthday party

A favourite party moment of ours was when Harry Derbridge hosted a fancy dress themed party for his 18th, with many of the cast member going over the top (of course). Harry turned up as Lady Gaga, wowing his attendees but let's not forget the late Nanny Pat who turned up as the actual Queen. Icon.

Gemma telling Arg, "You ain't ever gong to get this candy10 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Gemma telling Arg, "You ain't ever gong to get this candy

After Arg and Lydia broke up then got back together then broke up then got back together then finally ended their relationship, Arg moved on with Gemma Collins, otherwise known as the GC. Yet again, it looked like the pair were made for each other but things soon spiralled out of control and the relationship catastrophically ended, with Gemma turning up in front of everyone at a pool party, whacking off her caftan and shouting "You ain't ever going to get this candy". James just stood in the middle of the pool, mouth opened, shocked. We still haven't recovered.

Sam and Joey have their first date11 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Sam and Joey have their first date

Sam and Joey Essex were an unlikely match on TOWIE, seen as though Joey was a few years younger than Sam. However, the pair seemed to get on like a house on fire and decided to see whether their friendship would work as a relationship and Joey took Sam on their first date. But he took her to a dump. His reasoning was that it would be "different" and "cool", but it ended up being stinky and gut wrenching instead.

Gemma leaving Mick a pie, and him pieing her off12 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Gemma leaving Mick a pie, and him pieing her off

Kirk's dad Mick was a catch back in the day, owning the legendary club Sugar Hut, where all the cast members would party on and off screen. One cast member who wanted a bit of Mick was Gemma, who lovingly made him a pie and left it on his doorstep to win his affections. However, it didn't seem to work as Mick said he didn't like Gemma in that way and pied her off with her pie. Ouch.

When Gemma held an exorcism13 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

When Gemma held an exorcism

Gemma is known for her "GC" persona - the larger than life, savage and diva princess. But in one episode, Gemma decided enough was enough and wanted to show the real her. Therefore, the took the logical conclusion to having an exorcism to get "the GC" persona out of her body. You cannot write this stuff.

Joey and Ricky fight in a shop14 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Joey and Ricky fight in a shop

After Ricky Rayment joined the show, there wasn't an instant connection between him and Joey, after the pair were talking about each other behind each others backs. It all came to a head at the re-opening of Lauren Goodger's beauty salon, with the pair scrapping inside and outside the shop, knocking products over as they fought onto the high street. The fight was seen as so bad, Essex Police were called to stop the pair from fighting. They later apologised to each other and made up.

Gemma and Ferne's diva fight15 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Gemma and Ferne's diva fight

The fight of all fights. In a quiet, suburban town sit three women as they watch Gemma and Ferne McCann have a war with words over who has "earned their divaship". Nothing else needs to be said, except from TV gold.

Bobby and Harry's thong schlongs16 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Bobby and Harry's thong schlongs

When Bobby Norris joined TOWIE, he brought all the sass that the show needed. However, he also showed a lot of ass when he, and boyfriend at the time Harry, decided to wear a unique form of swimwear, which we're fondly calling 'Shlong Thong'. It really covered nothing and sent viewers at home wild, leading to some viewers putting in formal complaints.

Megan kicks off at Pete17 of 17
CREDIT: ITV

Megan kicks off at Pete

After Megan McKenna's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, TOWIE bosses were quick to sign up the TV babe, and it just so happened she'd started dating Pete Wicks, which meant she had the perfect storyline when joining the show. Their love seemed to blossom, with the pair becoming 'Head Couple' on the show for nearly two years. However, the cracks soon started to show after it was revealed Pete had been sexting other girls, leaving Megan extremely angry. This led to her epic outburst on the beach in Marbella, blowing her other TV tantrums out of the water. "Go be single!" she screamed. We can still hear it echoing around the world now.

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"In the past, maybe I’ve tried to play it cool and it’s gone wrong. It makes things a lot easier if you know you like each other and see the relationship going somewhere. After lockdown and the past year, I think people who are dating don’t want to waste time playing games, like, 'Is she going to text me back?'

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"Things are going really well with Dani – I’m very happy at the moment. We met after friends set us up, and it was weird getting together during lockdown. It’s been so nice to go on a real first date, and also dating away from the show.

"We did some sightseeing in London, got dressed up, and went to a nice restaurant – she said it was the best first date she’s ever had, so I’m winning! We’ve really got to know each other and we’re very similar. We haven’t done the 'I love you' yet – but I can definitely see a future with Dani. I’m sure you’ll see it develop on TOWIE."

Read more in this week's Closer magazine, out now

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