Gemma Collins’ weight loss journey as she sheds 3st – from brutal diets & £5k ‘juice camp’ to controversial skinny jabs
FROM figure-hugging outfits and plunging bikinis to fluffy lingerie - Gemma Collins has been proudly showing off her three-stone weight loss to fans this summer.
Yet the incredible transformation hasn't been easy for the TV diva - who has turned to brutal diets, controversial 'skinny jabs' and even a £5,000-a-week 'juice camp' in a bid to shed the pounds.
Though Gemma - one of The Only Way Is Essex's best-loved stars - has always exuded confidence and body positivity no matter what her size, she's made no secret of her "nightmare" battle with food.
She has also courageously opened up about her struggle with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal condition that made it difficult for her to lose weight after her "very slim" twenties.
In June, The GC admitted to her two million Instagram followers that bullies have "taunted" her over the years, while companies have callously told her: "You're too fat to promote my brand."
Smiling through the taunts
But despite the insults, she's continued to smile and promote body confidence - even recently sticking her fingers up at clothing brands who wouldn't dress her size 16 body in the early days of Towie.
"What you got to say now, huns?!" she remarked.
Here, after stunning Gemma, 39, wowed fans this week by posing in a glamorous white outfit while celebrating a business milestone, we look at her weight loss journey through the years...
“She has been doing exercise as well but not military-style. None of it is forced. Nobody can force Gemma to do anything, frankly.”
She has been doing exercise as well but not military-style. None of it is forced. Nobody can force Gemma to do anything, frankly
Juice master Jason Vale
That same year Gemma tried hypnotherapy to shed more weight and revealed she had been hypnotised into believing she had a gastric band in a bid to stay slim.
"Now I have four mouthfuls of food and I can't eat any more. I feel like I can't breathe I'm so full."
Rise of 'meme queen'
It's fair to say that 2017 was a gem of a year for our Gem.
She became the nation's "meme queen" and there's no denying the Towie legend rose to a whole new level of fame.
But health-wise Gemma had a tough time that year as she was told her egg count was low during an episode of Towie, and that her weight would make it harder for her to become pregnant.
She could have opted for a gastric band but ruled it out.
Speaking to The Sun, Gemma said: “I’m not saying I’ll get to a size 10 but I do need to lose weight. For my health I wouldn’t be bigger than I am now. I refuse to have a gastric band as easy as it would be.”
Regardless, on holiday in Tenerife that year, Gemma proudly wore a black, sheer mesh swimsuit to reveal her stunning curves.
Defending her choice of attire, the reality star later explained to The Sun: "I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t need to explain my outfits.
“It's not for everyone but I loved it - why shouldn’t a plus size girl wear mesh - who said they couldn’t?”
Ice Queen burns off the calories
While ice skating may not be the typical choice of work out, it seems that this activity can be a very good way to burn calories, since going on Dancing on Ice in 2019 is what kick-started Gemma's recent toning up.
During her time on the show, the self-proclaimed diva did two hours of training, three times a week, which burned at least 1,000 calories a session.
Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield on This Morning when she left the show, she said: “I will 100 per cent keep up with the fitness.”
Discussing the change in her body, she continued: “I feel so much better."
And she certainly stuck to her word.
Later that year, Gemma enjoyed a well-deserved holiday abroad and showed off her slimmer frame in a white, busty swimsuit. She appeared to be bursting with confidence as she modelled the strapless one-piece.
She might not be a shrinking violet, but the Essex girl's waistline has shrunk no end in recent pictures as she reveals her new three-stone weight loss.
The GC looked incredible as she posed up a storm during the Covid lockdown, showing off her new slim bod.
Controversial 'skinny jabs'
But she has owned up to fans that her "secret" to losing so much weight this time is partly down to keeping up with controversial weight loss injections.
Last year, Sun Online revealed the star was on a new weight loss plan with 'skinny jabs', which are injections that act as an appetite suppressant.
Gemma, however, has been met with some criticism for promoting them.
The jabs cost up to £350 for a four-week programme and contain the ingredient liraglutide, which carries many health risks.
Nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert told The Sun Online: "Any form of self-injection can be risky and an area that only your GP or health professional can advise you on, risk of infection, place of injection, the dose inside."
Although Gemma has already shifted a few stone, her weight loss journey might not be over yet - as her sights are set on shedding more.
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She said: "I'd be really happy if I lost six stone as that would bring me down to 12 stone and a size 16."
But for the moment, The GC is feeling healthier than ever. And as she recently told her fans, "Your health is your wealth."