He’s had a much-publicised battle with booze, drugs and binge-eating over the years. And last week, James “Arg” Argent opened up about the extent of his addictions, revealing he’d been regularly taking cocaine for seven years.
Speaking candidly, the reality star admitted he could spend £500 a week on coke, locked in a vicious cycle of binging on drugs and fast food alone at home as a way to cope with his feelings and anxiety over his weight.
He said he “hit rock bottom” in December 2019, after suffering two near-fatal overdoses, and finally turned his life around after spending ten weeks at a rehab facility in Thailand earlier this year, organised by best friend Mark Wright. As for the future, he said he had many reasons to stay clean and sober for good – but none more so than giving his girlfriend Gemma Collins the happy ending she so deserves.
“I want to get married and have children,” Arg, 32, told The Sun. “But if I was to relapse again, Gemma has made it clear to me that she’s done everything that she possibly can. And you’ve got to remember that Gemma’s in her late thirties, so she hasn’t got time to be mucking about any more. She wants marriage and wants kids, but if I relapse or go downhill, then it’s done – it’s finished.”
Gemma, 39, and Arg’s famously volatile relationship took a turn for the worse last October, after Gem was forced to call emergency services amid fears that he had overdosed. Remembering the event, Arg said, “I locked myself in my house and took drugs for three days straight on my own… I was at rock bottom… My family were banging on the door and screaming, ‘Open up!’ But I wasn’t answering the door to anyone. They feared I’d overdosed and was dead.”
Check out: TOWIE stars then and now
heat TOWIE stars then and now stacked
1 of 20Lauren Goodger in 2011
Lauren Goodger takes on the red carpet at Essex Fashion Week back in 2011, a year after the show launched. Stripes and fake tan for days.
2 of 20THE GLOW UP - Lauren Goodger now
Oh YASS, the glow up is real.Check out Lauren Goodger in 2018. We don't know what magical moisturiser she is using but we are well jel - she looks younger. She briefly returned to TOWIE and has since launched her tanning brand LG Tan.
3 of 20Harry Derbidge in 2010
TOWIE's sweet heart and cousin to TOWIE royalty, Amy Childs, at the afterparty of a film premiere. Looking so young and fresh faced.
4 of 20THE GLOW UP - Harry Derbidge now
After quitting the show TWICE in 2014 (so, extra) he followed in his cousin Amy Childs' footsteps and opened his own boutique which later closed down. Now, he is a social media influencer and make-up artist and slaying the game. He has also announced his adoption plans with his fiancé Dean Rowland.
5 of 20Gemma Collins in 2011
Do you remember when she was a brunette? Yeah, no one does.
6 of 20THE GLOW UP - Gemma Collins now
"So, girls"She later ditched the bangs, the brunette hair and the excessive tan.After becoming TOWIE's most meme'ed star, she's launched her own TV show Diva Forever, dropped a podcast and she continues to be in an on/off relationship with James 'Arg' Argent.
7 of 20Amy Childs in 2010
Amy Childs in her signature red hair back in 2010 - on the red carpet for the launch of The Only Way Is Essex.
8 of 20THE GLOW UP - Amy Childs now
After being the first one to quit the show, she stormed the showbiz world with her own reality TV show, starred in Celebrity Big Brother and she is now reported to be worth over £5 million. She's also a mum to Polly and Rich.
9 of 20Mark Wright in 2011
Other than being an immediate TOWIE heartthrob / major palyer, he also used to model early on in his career.
10 of 20THE GLOW UP - Mark Wright now
Mark is now happily married to Michelle Keegan. He has his own radio show, he used to be the face of Take Me Out: The Gossip and he ventured across the pond to work with Mario Lopez on Extra.
11 of 20James 'Arg' Argent in 2011
This is what he looked like in 2011, a year after TOWIE launched.
12 of 20THE GLOW UP - James Argent now
Following his break-up from his on screen love, Lydia Bright, he took sometime off from TOWIE. He appeared on and off for a number of series but in 2020 he opened up about his cocaine addiction and eating disorder. He is now in an on/off relationship with Gemma Collins.
13 of 20Lydia Bright in 2011
Lydia opened her own boutique as soon as she joined TOWIE. She left the show after major drama with co-stars James Argent and Gemma Collins.
14 of 20THE GLOW UP - Lydia Bright now
Lydia's now mum to a little girl, Loretta.
15 of 20Sam Faiers in 2010
Quintessential Essex glamour is the best way to describe this picture but she definitely wins the best glow up...
16 of 20THE GLOW UP - Sam Faiers now
She 100% glowed up the most. Her life changed drastically since she first appeared on TOWIE. After leaving the show, she became a mother to Paul and Rosie. She followed Amy Childs' footsteps and joined Celebrity Big Brother and she has her own show The Mummy Diaries. You go girl.
17 of 20Kirk Norcross in 2010
He is a TOWIE original. He left the show three years after first appearing on our TV screens.
18 of 20THE GLOW UP - Kirk Norcross now
Not much has changed, except he is a dad to two children now.
19 of 20Maria Fowler in 2011
She had a very short time on TOWIE after she was dubbed "just a f***ing extra" by Kirk - harsh, right?
20 of 20THE GLOW UP - Maria Fowler now
We use the term 'now" very loosely with Maria, this picture is from early 2017 - that's because we can't find any recent pics as she is keeping it on the down low. We do know that is she is a makeup artist now, she's married to Kelvin Batey and they're expecting their second child later this year.
Arg said he then overdosed again two months later. “Gemma called the ambulance and the police came, too, and all of a sudden, they put my door through,” he recalled. By the end of December, he’d finally admitted he had a serious problem and flew to Thailand on New Year’s Eve.
Gemma has supported Arg (who’s lost more than 5st over the past five months) throughout his recovery, but she’s often had to resort to tough love. “She isn’t an enabler,” Arg said last week. “I hated her sometimes. I’d say, ‘Why are you telling my mum, my friends, the bosses of TV shows? You’re gonna ruin my career’. She wasn’t going to lie for me or let me get away for my using. She was extremely tough, but that’s exactly what I needed.”
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The on/off couple are currently self-isolating separately, but are officially back on again as long as Arg stays clean. As heat recently told you, Gemma – who’s always been open about her desire to have children – has been letting herself fantasise about that big white wedding again, after being spotted trying on wedding dresses at an Essex bridal shop. According to insiders, Arg’s recovery has given her enough reassurance that he’s in it for the long haul.
Discussing his recovery last week, Arg explained, “I just knew that if I don’t get better and I don’t get [help] right now, I’m gonna die.” Here’s hoping he finds health, peace and happiness moving forwards – and that him and Gemma finally get their happy ever after.
Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine - OUT NOW. Find out how to get your copy here.