Gemma Collins Says She Was 'The Most Iconic' Big Brother Housemate Of All Time
We all felt a little "claustrophobic Darren!" this year.
The last few months have been incredibly hectic for the GC. Between filming episodes for her fabulous reality show Diva Forever and preparing to release a Christmas single with her former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Darren Day, Lockdown 2.0 was busier than ever.
"I've been working every day! Lockdown Two has been nothing but phenomenal for me. My next day off is Christmas Day. I'm the GC, it's non-stop for me", says Gemma Collins, as she takes some time out from preparing Christmas orders from her website. "Everyone wants Gemma Collins baubles, my advent calendars and my merchandise. I've literally been packing them up like Mrs. Claus each and every individual bauble and getting them out."
Keeping busy has been a coping mechanism for Gemma after the first lockdown earlier this year. She has a clothing collection and an online store to take care of and just like thousands of businesses across England, Gemma's boutique had to close due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic."I nearly lost the shop. I was like, 'well what am I going to do?'" she explains. "And I thought, 'I'll roll my sleeves up' and I found a new way of operating my business. And that's what happened. We've been very lucky. We now have a really strong online platform for plus-size fashion."
Positivity is Gemma's new mantra and she is encouraging everyone to see the positives in unfortunate situations. "I've only taken positives from the first lockdown," she continues. "I'm one of these people, I love to see the positives in every situation. Without the dark days no one can shine, can they?"
Gemma took part in the 17th series of Celebrity Big Brother alongside Darren Day, Tiffany 'New York' Pollard and other memorable characters. Her appearance on the show unleashed a whole host of iconic phrases that are now embedded in the pop culture stratosphere. "I'm Claustrophobic Darren", a rant about hair straighteners, a disagreement over pair of designer shoes and "I've had enough of playing games!" to name a few.
"Honey, I was the most iconic housemate. No-one will beat me or top me or ever come close to my wonderful, fabulous performance on Big Brother," Gemma declares. "I was the most iconic person ever to come off of that show."
One game Gemma does enjoy playing, however, is Bravo Speed, a free-to-play lottery app. "You know the GC don't like playing games. But this is one game I really do love to play. You can get the girls online to play with you and it's just incredible, you can win £4.2 million. It's Christmas, honey, anything can happen."
Gemma entertained us for 29 days on Celebrity Big Brother, with no contact with the outside world. The set-up sounds a lot like lockdown, doesn't it? "The only difference is you didn't have camera crew and people around you," she says. "To be fair, maybe lockdown wasn't that different because I was the first UK reality star to make a show, I made a show in the pandemic, just myself. And, it was absolutely brilliant." That show was aptly titled Diva on Lockdown, it consisted of three episodes shot in Gemma's home in Brentwood, Essex.
"Throughout every situation, I always try to keep myself busy. Obviously, no one could film, but literally, we found a way of doing it, and this is what I'm saying to people. You just got to find new ways of doing stuff!"
Gemma also made the trek Australia for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! In 2014. She lasted only 72 hours in the jungle. This year's series took place in Gwrych Castle, North Wales and the regal setting is only slightly more tempting than the humid, insect-filled jungle. "They must be hella freezing, I can tell you that for nothing," she laughs. "I like castles and I dream of living in one one day. But as long as it had heating! I'm not sure they've got heat in there. Someone said they've got two sleeping bags."
What does the GC have on her to do list for the new year? "I turn 40 next year, I'm really excited for people to see the sort of work I'm going to do with animals," she says." Damien Aspinall is someone that I follow. And I'd like to get into more humanitarian work, you know, Princess Diana work, walking through the landmines."
More immediate plans are her Christmas single with Darren Day, which will see the pair perform a cover of 'Baby It's Cold Outside'. The song is for the mental health and addiction charity It's Ok not to be OK. "I can't wait till it gets to Christmas number one. It's gonna warm your cockles, as they say!" The single is available to pre-order now.
There's one particular pop superstar Gemma has in mind who she would love to work with in the future. "Honey, me and Madonna need to meet. That would be the dream - to star in a movie with Madonna. I follow her on Instagram and I love all her songs. What I love about her is that she's always evolved, that's like me, I always evolve. I think one day people will see me as the modern day Madonna."
Download and play the BravoSpeed free-to-play lottery app via the Appstore and Google Play; www.bravospeed.com
Topics: I'm a celebrity, Celebrity Big Brother, Entertainment News, Gemma Collins, Celebrity News
Gregory Robinson