Bride-to-be Gemma Collins says she has ditched the designer shopping and five-star lifestyle – and is all about “mother nature” now. In this exclusive chat with OK! , the reality TV legend, 43, spills the beans on her dream woodland wedding to Rami Hawash, her thoughts on “The GC” and her special bond with stepson Tristan, six.
But in true GC style, there’s something even more personal that Gemma wants to share with us too…
Hi, Gemma! You’re trying to get rid of the stigma around bladder leaks – loud and proud as ever!
Yes, people just really need to be their true authentic selves. We live in such a shadowed and censored world. But we’re human beings and we have natural bodily functions and I’m all about body confidence and body power. I’m here for the women!
We go through so much, and we need to normalise things like bladder leaks. I’m really struggling with it at the moment and I know others are, too.
Have you chatted to your mum about her issues with it as well?
Yes, and she’s really going through it at the moment – she didn’t leave the house for two weeks recently, because she was scared to go out. Bladder leaks really depress her and it’s affecting her life. We can’t go and have a family trip because everything is being run around my mum’s bladder leaks – it’s really stressful and really upsetting. I’ve not done much recently because when I see my mum, all we do is sit in the house as she’s just so scared of leaking.
Do you think there’s too much shame around talking about these kinds of issues?
Yes, and it’s the best part of our bodies! It’s the key to all life, honey, so we really need to look after and respect it. If anyone is struggling, I want them to know it’s normal. Hollywood actresses get bladder leaks, come on – every woman in the world has probably experienced them.
As “Gemma”, do you think you’re as confident as “The GC”?
The GC is very much the business, and there’s a whole series of events that happen before she appears – there’s the make-up, the big hair, the whole performance. People call me GC and I’m like, “My name’s Gemma, not The GC.” As Gemma, I’m all about my garden, growing my vegetables, walking the dog, I’m a very homely, earthy person.
Has your outlook on life changed over the years, would you say?
I think everyone takes life for granted, people have lost the plot. We complain about the weather but we’ve caused this problem! People aren’t respecting Mother Nature. Every day, you wake up and your eyes are opening and you’re alive.
Be grateful for it. We don’t know which day is our last. I think I’ve always had that motto, and if I died tomorrow, I think I’ll have achieved 95% of what I’ve wanted to do in my life, so I wouldn’t be sad.
Do you believe in regrets?
Absolutely not! No regrets. Making mistakes is just part of our learning in life. Actually… I do regret not doing my pelvic floor when I was younger!
What’s on your summer bucket list?
I’d love to get my mum out and about again. And I just want to keep on my humanitarian hype. I’ve done all the shopping down Bond Street, stayed in the best hotels, I’m done with all that!
You posted a lovely tribute to Rami and Tristan last month. Do you love having a stepson in your life?
Tristan has been in my life since he was three, and he’s nearly seven now. Since day one, it’s been so easy to love him. We’ve got such a bond, like he’s my [biological] child anyway.
Do you have a good relationship with Tristan’s mum?
Yes, she’s great. She’s a businesswoman and we’re very similar. She knows that when he’s with me he’s in good hands. He’s got two really strong powerhouses around him.
You have said that you would like three weddings with Rami – is that still the case?
If I get married, I’ll get married in the woods, I want it to be earthy. And I’ll be putting a liner in my knickers on my wedding day because there’s going to be lots of laughter and tears, and I certainly don’t want to be leaking then!
Always Discreet partnered with Gemma for World Continence Week to help women feel less alone and manage bladder leaks. For advice, speak to a GP and visit alwaysdiscreet.co.uk/en-gb/pelvic-floor-lift-exercises
