Gemma Collins: Bullies punched me in face for being too popular
Gemma Collins has claimed she was forced to move schools after being the victim of bullying and was once punched in the face.
The 39-year-old reality TV star, who rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex, insisted she was not targeted for being overweight, but for being too popular.
Collins revealed in The Gemma Collins Podcast: “I never got bullied because of my weight, I actually wasn’t overweight at school. I used to be bullied because I was quite popular and I was quite out there.
“Basically, I had to move schools in the end because I was bullied quite bad.
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“One girl even punched me in my face and stole my purse.”
The reality star – who has appeared on numerous shows including Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing On Ice and Celebs Go Dating – is known for her fuller figure, but has shed several stone since embarking on a healthier lifestyle last year.
Collins recently opened up on suffering a miscarriage during lockdown.
The 39-year-old, who recently split with boyfriend James “Arg” Argent, told Loose Women her ability to have children has been affected by polycystic ovary syndrome.
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“It was really difficult for me in isolation because, as you know, with my condition of PCOS, it’s not easy to fall pregnant and I did suffer a miscarriage which was really sad during the lockdown period.
She added: “I have suffered with it for the last 10 years. I started to gain weight when I was 28, my periods were all over the place. I’ve suffered miscarriages.
“I did go through a very sad miscarriage in lockdown. Due to PCOS I just thought that I was having an unusually heavy period. I actually left it 10 days.”
