The Only Way is Essex star Gemma Collins is comical, excessive and cheeky.
The Gemma we meet every evening on Celebs Go Dating however, well she’s just plain rude.
She’s derogatory, ostentatious, gaudy, brassy and stuck-up.
I’m not a huge fan. If you didn’t already realise.
On ITV hit TOWIE and Gemma is something of a fan favourite. Her booming personality has been a driving force behind the show over recent years and audiences have grown to applaud if not adore her outspoken views.
Gemma’s montages of sarcastic sass, evident in each TOWIE episode, have helped capture a personality that isn’t afraid of challenging the norm. TOWIE Gemma is a larger than life character who isn’t afraid to stick up for what they believe in and shows no haste when putting co-stars in their place.
We quite like her.
Unfortunately however, all of the promising work Gemma had built as an unlikely reality TV role model has come tumbling down in Celebs Go Dating.
Airing almost every night on Channel 4 and the sheer volume of Gemma Collins on our TV screens has proved sickening. For entertainment value, she is dynamite. But when thrown into in real life situations, and with real life people, her attitude towards finding love is demoralising and disheartening.
We take Gemma’s appearances on TOWIE with pinches, if not lashes, of salt, and often come to the conclusion that her outspoken views or brash culls of friendships are semi-scripted. But in Celebs go Dating, where the general public is thrown into the mix, and Gemma cuts a cold and callous figure. There’s nothing cheeky about her at all.
On the speed dating rounds and Gem Gem refused to mingle, convinced that she was too good to mix with the crowd that surrounded her. Across the series and handfuls of dating enthusiasts who yearned for the approval of Miss Collins were dashed down as they attempted to woo her over dinner. The wrong joke, a misplaced anecdote, and even forgetting to pull out a chair have all been cited as valid reasons for the Essex queen to walk out on a date.
On one date and Gemma took exactly four minutes before she decided that her date was no-longer worthy of her company.
And may I add, in none of these situations has Gemma offered to pay any portion of the bill as she executes her disappearing act.
The only date that has merited a second hook-up so far, was with AV technician Ben. Yet, despite gifting Gemma with flowers, compliments and all the princess treatments The GC expects from a man, the date fell to pieces over money.
Gemma unforgivingly inquired into Ben’s financial situation, probing as to what he would do if he was a millionaire and brandishing his humble thoughts on the perfect evening “spent with loved ones and family with a takeaway” as a common peasants answer. Gemma got up and left.
On Celebs Go Dating and Gemma’s entire persona is a confusing bubble of clashing opinions. She wants to come across as empowering and righteous, representing a strong female who is business-minded, entrepreneurial and diligent. At the same time however and she is obsessed with finding a man who can provide for her. She wants to live a life of luxury and will happily sell her moral values for the shine of a dime or, say, a second date at a fancy restaurant.
The sooner Celebs Go Dating is finished and the sooner we can go back to monitoring our portions of The GC.
We like TOWIE Gemma. Can you just keep her contained in Essex.