best for CELEBRITY
things I wouldn’t want her to
see. If she hears I have fallen
out with someone on the show
she just immediately takes my
side but, otherwise, I try to
protect her from what is going
on in that show.
Megan Barton Hanson is
also on the show – how do
you two get along?
She’s very sweet, actually.
I loved her on Love Island,
but we aren’t that close, she’s
closer to my sister because
they are similar in age. But I
got on with Megan really well.
She had quite a tough time
when she left Love Island, but
she has come through all that.
You recently hit back at
trolls on social media for
questioning your parenting
style. Is it difficult to live in
the spotlight?
I don’t find it difficult, but I
never get used to it. I started
in this industry when I was
29, so I was already sort of
grown up by then and hadbeen through a lot. I have got
used to people writing things
about me in the media – but
the trolls and the abuse I get,
I will never get used to. With
TOWIE I’ve had everything
thrown at me – they attack the
way I look, what I wear, how I
am as a mother. I try to ignore
a lot of it but when they target
my daughter or me as a parent
I have to respond. They say
it’s just kids who do it – but
actually it’s been middle-aged
men and women who attack
me. It is all very upsetting and
as a working, single mum I still
struggle with it.
You split from TOWIE’s
Dan Edgar recently – how
do you feel about him now?
I don’t feel anything. As far as
I’m concerned, our friendship
and relationship is dead in
the water. I’ve got nothing to
say to him and I’ve not seen
him since we stopped filming
TOWIE and I’ve blocked him
on social media. So that’s that.
Gemma Collins has a new
ITVBe reality TV show – is
that something you’d like
to do in future?
Yes, things like that do cross
my mind! I don’t think I am as
determined as some TOWIE
cast members, but I would like
to do a show centred around
my family, as a lot of my family
are on TV – including my
cousin Joey [Essex].● Celebs Go Dating starts
5 August at 9pm on E4.‘I am very
independent
and if I think
someone isn’t
who I thought
he was, I just
don’t want to
know them
anymore’
Chloe’s former flame
Dan Edgar (above)
and with her younger
sister Demi (left)