We might all think we’ve become professional runners in our daily exercise sessions, but someone who really has committed to an intense fitness regime is James “Arg” Argent.
The 32 year old shocked his Instagram followers when he showed a side-by-side comparison of himself from April last year and a snap of him just last week. The incredible weight loss – estimated to be around five stone – comes after heat previously reported that Arg and Gemma Collins had put off wedding plans so that he could focus on his health.
A source tells us, “Gemma wants them to start a family together ASAP. But she’s also taking his health into account and knows Arg getting better is more important than anything.”
Arg checked into a rehab facility over the New Year to address his alcohol and weight issues, and it seems he is determined to continue on his health journey. He captioned his recent Instagram post, “I’m making progress, inside and out. One day at a time.”
The ex-TOWIE star’s friends were quick to congratulate him on his progress so far.
Vicky Pattison wrote, “Omg! I’m so proud of you,” Jack Fincham commented, “Go on the boy,” and Elliot Wright added, “Yes Arg! We’re all proud of you, keep it up [we’re] all with you.”
Check out: axed TOWIE stars - where are they now?
CLOSER axed TOWIE stars - where are they now Harry head
1 of 26Harry Derbridge, series 1- 3 and 12
Harry Derbridge was a Towie original and still holds a very special place in our hearts. He made a welcome return to the show as Bobby Norris's love interest but, allegedly, cheated on him.
2 of 26Harry Derbridge, 2018
Harry now works it as a make-up artist. Is it us, or does he look like he might have had a little help with lip fillers?
3 of 26Maria Fowler, series 1 - 3
Maria, on the left with Joey Essex and Chloe Sims in 2011, was in the show from the get-go but her TV career was rocked when it was alleged she'd worked as an escort. She's since said she quit 'by mutual consent' after she refused an on-screen romance with Mick Norcross.
4 of 26Maria Fowler, 2018
Maria's now a proud mummy, engaged to be married and a self-proclaimed permanent make-up artist.
5 of 26Dan Osborne, series 8 - 14
Dan Osborne, pictured here with James Argent in 2013, managed seven series on the show. He was given the boot after a series of recordings, claiming to show Dan being verbally abusive towards his ex-girlfriend Megan Tomlin, came to light.
6 of 26Dan Osborne, 2018
Dan is still in the spotlight due to his relationship with ex-EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa. In May 2018 he described their marriage as "unhappy".
7 of 26Amber Dowding, series 18 - 21
Amber was part of a mega cull of seven Towie characters in January 2018. She claimed that she and her boyfriend Chris Clark were cut because they were happy. They've now split and Chris has reappeared on the show.
8 of 26Amber Dowding, 2018
If Amber's social media is anything to go by, she now appears to mostly be on holiday. Pretty goals from where we're sitting.
9 of 26Mike Hassini, series 16 - 18 and 21
Mike Hassini brought a hot bod to Towie and...not much else. He was cut in January 2018 due to a lack of storylines as he was loved-up outside the telly show.
10 of 26Mike Hassini, 2018
Mike is working as a PT, still loved-up, and still has a very hot bod. He has subsequently appeared briefly in gym scenes on the show.
11 of 26Jack Rigden, series 20 - 21
Jack Rigden tried hard, so hard, to make an impression on Towie but his lack of on-screen romance and agg saw him get very little camera time. He was part of the big cull of January 2018.
12 of 26Jack Rigden, 2018
Jack's Instagram bio describes him as an "absolute geezer". Which is nice.
13 of 26Jordan Brook, series 20 - 21
Jordan and Jack were brought in as friends of Megan McKenna. When she quit, they were left without any storylines.
14 of 26Jordan Brooks, 2018
Jordan is now dating Sofia Filipe of Ex On The Beach fame. Aww.
15 of 26Ricky Rayment, series 4 - 14
We still think very fondly of Ricky. His rocky relationship with Jess Wright was a huge part of the show but when they finally broke up, well... Ricky left the show "by mutual agreement"with Towie bosses.
16 of 26Ricky Rayment, 2018
Ricky now seems to mainly go fishing.
17 of 26Tom Pearce, series 5 - 13
Remember when Tom Pearce dated Lauren Goodger following her split from Mark Wright? That was an odd time. He was quietly shown the back doorof the show in 2014.
18 of 26Tom Pearce, 2018
Honestly? We're not 100% sure what Tom is actually doing these days. He used to work in the City, and his holidays certainly look pretty epic, so maybe that.
19 of 26Grace Andrews, series 11 - 12
Grace almost had a romantic relationship with Lewis Bloor (shudder) and that was the beginning and end of her time on Towie.
20 of 26Grace Andrews, 2018
Grace is now involved in a semi-permanent make-up company. Those Towie stars must really hate cleanser.
21 of 26Fran Parman, series 11 - 16
Fran's original romantic interest was Tom Pearce but he stepped aside to allow Diags to woo her. Bad luck. Their relationship was turbulent but apparently not turbulent enough for show producers. Diags stayed, she went.
22 of 26Fran Parman, 2018
Fran and Diags split and she now hangs out in clothing that does not look very practical.
23 of 26Jasmin Walia, series 1 and 7-17
Jasmin managed eight series until she was given the boot. In 2015 her agent stated: "TOWIE is very storyline dependent and Jasmin did not have much going on that we could show on screen."Ouch. She went on to audition for The X Factor. It did not go well. She also took part in reality show Desi Rascals, that lasted for one series.
24 of 26Jasmin Walia, 2018
Jasmin is still being papped, which is more than can be said for some of the other ex-Towie stars.
25 of 26Jake Hall, series 14 - 17
Jake's time of TOWIE was mainly characterised by him being mean to our sweet Essex princess Chloe Lewis including many accusations of infidelity, plus rumours he'd slept with Megan McKenna.
26 of 26Jake Hall, 2018
Jake subsequently became engaged to former Real Housewives of Cheshire star Misse Beqiri. They have a baby together but in December 2018Jake was given a restraining order following a bust up with his fiancée.
And one person Arg made sure to keep close to his heart on his run was on/off girlfriend Gemma – as he donned a sweatshirt with her face on.
Gemma herself has been keeping busy while Arg gets fit and she raised eyebrows when she announced her new series Diva On Lockdown was being filmed while she is in quarantine in her Essex home.
A source close to the 39 year old tells us she did have different plans for self-isolation. “Gemma’s dad still controls all of her finances, so if she wants to spend money, she has to earn it, even though she’s already a millionaire.
"She really wanted to put her feet up and concentrate on her and Arg starting a family during lockdown, which she still plans to do, but she also feels as though she’s part of ‘The GC’ money-making machine and can’t really stop working right now.”
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After her boutique went into liquidation in January, Gemma admitted, “My dad controls all my money. Seriously, I have to ask him if I want to upgrade my car.”
And we’re told this situation is stressing her out, so she’s spending money to make herself feel better.
“To take the edge off, she’s been online shopping, buying herself expensive items of clothing, face creams, perfume, and luxury food deliveries. She works hard for her money, and so she likes to splurge to treat herself.”
Our source goes on to say that the more Gemma spends, the more she feels obliged to work in order to fuel her shopping habits. But, for all her GC girl boss bravado, all she’d really like to do is settle down and have a family with her boyfriend.
“Although Gemma presents herself as a savvy businesswoman, the reality is there are other people behind it all – and there’s another side to her that would really just be happier being a homemaker with Arg and a little baby.”
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