Gemma Collins opened up about all the cosmetic work she’s had done and credited her late mum Joan with pushing her towards the opportunity that transformed her life in a new interview.
Closer spoke to Gemma before Joan died following a battle with pneumonia. The memories carry added poignancy after the death of her mum Joan, which Gemma announced in July.
Reflecting on her family’s support, Gemma told the magazine: “We’ve always been very close. I didn’t leave home till I was 30. They’ve been the making of me.”
Gemma Collins reveals how Joan encouraged her to join TOWIE
Gemma worked in car sales when the TOWIE team first contacted her in 2011. She initially suspected her friends had set up the call as a prank.
The reality show already had Gemma’s attention. She and Joan watched it together and eagerly waited for each new episode.
After another call, Gemma agreed to meet the show’s team in London. They initially offered her a seven-week appearance.
The decision still carried risks. Gemma had a well-paid job and did not know whether the programme would succeed.
Her dad had reservations, but Joan urged her to take the chance. Recalling her mum’s advice, Gemma told Closer: “Do it! Take no notice of him.”
Gemma’s employer also kept the door open, telling her she could return after the seven weeks. However, the short TOWIE opportunity became a much longer television career.
She remained part of the programme for almost a decade before leaving in 2019.
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‘I never grew up worried about my body’
In the same conversation, Gemma opened up about body image.
‘I never grew up worried about my body or wanted surgery,” she said.
“I’ve still got my own teeth, my own nose, my own butt. I have not – apart from the odd little bit of Botox and some skin boosters – gone under the knife,” Gemma continued, explaining what she’s had done.
“I could look a million times better, but it’s just not who I am. It’s your spirit, your personality, your aura, what you bring. Your energy is everything.”
Gemma Collins recalls her jobs before TOWIE fame
Gemma also looked back at a childhood without much money. She recalled making toast by holding bread on a fork near a gas fire.
She started her first job at 13 and later worked for Warehouse. Gemma said her pay there stood at £3.25 an hour.
After leaving school without top grades, she joined a recruitment agency and made cold calls. Several years later, she began wondering whether life offered something more.
Those early roles remain important to how Gemma views herself. She said: “Forget the GC, what you see on the TV – me, Gemma Collins – I’m a grafter.”
Her television success later took her beyond TOWIE. Gemma appeared on I’m A Celebrity in 2014 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2016.
She also returned for I’m A Celebrity All Stars earlier this year. Her career has included one of her most famous viral moments too, when she fell through a stage opening.
Read more: Gemma Collins sizzles in cut-out swimsuit as she brags about never having a ‘bad looking boyfriend’
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