Gemma Collins has told of her heartbreak at being branded "a fat pig" on social media after being filmed working out in a gym.
The GC, 39, described how she'd taken up cycling while the country remains on lockdown, but is in no rush to head get back to the gym any time soon.
"I often go for walks but the newest thing I've done," the reality star revealed, "And fallen in absolute love with, is bike riding.
"I bought myself a bike in isolation and a helmet and I love it. It's built my confidence up because not everyone is confident in exercise.
"I've been in gyms before and people have recorded me on their mobile phones and uploaded it on Facebook and said: 'Look at this fat pig', which has been really traumatic for me to see."
Gemma went on describe her struggles with body weight when she first shot to fame - she became a household name overnight when she joined TOWIE for its second season in 2011.
"When I first became known in public I was sent off to bootcamps," she revealed, "I was thrown into all this madness of weight loss and weight gain.
"I was made to feel ashamed of my body. It's something we couldn't speak about back then but I'm telling the truth.
"It's something that now probably wouldn't be allowed to happen."
She went on to describe shedding three and a half stone - through gruelling eight hour days of exercise, meaning she started to see a workout "as punishment."
"There was something in my brain when it came to exercising," Gemma continued, "My stomach would churn, my heart would go and beat funny.
"I'd be like, 'I just don't want to do this.' I'd get a mental block.
"I do like exercising. It makes you feel good and gets the endorphins going. So I decided to do low impact exercise and exercise I enjoy."
