Gemma Collins is making her long-awaited return to I’m A Celebrity for the South Africa series – more than a decade after her unforgettable first stint.
The reality TV icon is back alongside fellow all-stars, including Scarlett Moffatt, Ashley Roberts and Adam Thomas, as the spin-off launches this weekend (April 6) with Ant and Dec at the helm.
From her TOWIE beginnings to becoming one of the UK’s most recognisable TV personalities, Gemma has kept herself firmly in the spotlight. Here’s everything you need to know about the GC, from her rise to fame to her love life and biggest TV moments.
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Gemma found fame on TOWIE (Credit: ITV)
How did Gemma Collins get famous?
Gemma Collins became a household name after joining ITV2’s The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) in 2011.
She quickly became a fan favourite, appearing as a regular from series 2 through to 2019. Reflecting on the show’s 15th anniversary in 2025, Gemma told BBC Essex: “I’ll always cherish it. It was special, it was just magic,” she said.
“They were wild, they were great, they were fun,” Gemma added. “It was a whole new era and it was just a vibe and a time and I will never, ever change [or] regret [it].”
Before finding fame, Gemma worked selling cars at a BMW garage in Harold Wood, east London, and admitted leaving her job was a “massive risk”.
“Yes, we all got paid £50 in the day but it all turned out good. I’m still living here to tell the tale. I knew I was going to be able to have a good life off the back of taking a massive risk,” she explained.
Are Gemma and Bobby still friends?
Gemma was once close friends with Bobby during her TOWIE days, but the pair have since drifted apart.
They have both spoken openly about losing touch, with Bobby joking he hasn’t seen Gemma in seven years and saying she’s harder to reach than “Marilyn Monroe on a Ouija board”.
However, Gemma has made it clear she would be open to reconnecting. Speaking on the Wright At Home podcast, she revealed she had tried to get in touch with him.
“I’d love to see Bobby again, I don’t know where he is,” she said. “I did call him with Chloe Sims, because when she comes over from LA, she doesn’t live far from us, actually. I said, ‘Come on, let’s ring Bob.’ Rung, did he answer? No.”
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