It has been an incredibly tough 12 months for Gemma Collins.
The 40-year-old spent weeks at her father Alan Collins' bedside as he battled a serious case of Covid, and she finally called time on her on-off relationship with James Argent, 33, after ten years.
So fans of the star all crossed their fingers for her when she revealed she has rekindled her relationship with another ex-boyfriend, Rami Hawash, 45.
Gemma has made constant headlines with her breakups and make-ups since she first appeared on TOWIE in 2011.
She has made no secret of her desire to start a family and had previously vowed to have a baby before she turned 40.
And at the end of 2020, she told fans her New Year's Resolution was to settle down in 2021, get married and welcome a baby.
Many of us thought this would be with James, and it seems Gemma did too, but they confirmed last year after almost ten years of dating on and off, they simply were not meant to be.
Gemma met James in 2011 when they were both thrust into the spotlight on TOWIE, but he was in a long-term relationship with their co star Lydia Bright, and Gemma had set her sights on the late Mick Norcross.
Gemma had tried to woo gentlemanly Mick, who took his own life in January, by bringing him an apple pie.
The nation watched in horror as she mistakenly thought he was bringing her a bottle of champagne at a party, and they never hit it off.
Gemma then embarked on a brief relationship with another co star, Charlie King, but the pair were embroiled in screaming rows on the show.
The romance quickly fizzled out with Charlie explaining that they "didn't click", but behind the scenes he was struggling to come to terms with his sexuality.
He told aTEEN: “Gemma was someone who I really did like – I found myself drawn to her as a person. I dated her because I thought at that time it was what I wanted to do.
“I guess looking back I can see how it looks now – she wasn’t going to want to jump into bed right away, nor did I think she would pressure me to do so.
“We didn’t click and I guess deep down my struggles with identifying who I am, were lurking in the distance.”
Charlie came out as gay live on This Morning in 2014, and said host Phillip Schofield - who went on to do the same in 2020 - was a huge support on the day.
Gemma and Charlie have since spoken affectionately of each other, with Charlie helping Gemma with her fitness regime.
Gemma and James then began flirting, but when she found out he had criticised her body behind her back, she famously dropped her towel in front of him, revealing her bikini underneath, and told him "you ain't ever gonna get this candy", with viewers applauding her.
"I might not be a size 10 but I've got a good heart, so take that and kiss that!" she added, though the pair continued to hook up on and off in between blazing rows.
During a period in 2011 where James had got back with Lydia once again, Gemma met Rami for the first time.
They ended up dating for three years, during which Rami proposed in 2013 and Gemma accepted, but her heart was not in it.
Gemma explained to Piers Morgan on Life Stories earlier this year: "I knew it wasn’t right because when he asked me to marry him I zoned out and sort of stared into space.
"I should have said no, but I didn’t have the guts.”
Their engagement came to an end in 2014, just weeks before they were set to tie the knot, and since their break up, Rami became a father to a three-year-old son called Tristan.
Rami and Gemma briefly reunited again in 2017, before they split once more and he blamed her GC persona.
“The GC is a protective armour for her. My favourite time with her was Sunday lunch with her parents and brother," he told The Mirror.
"That was the real Gemma. She wouldn’t pull The GC in front of her dad Alan. She was happy, funny and lovely.
“I would wake up in the morning and I would look in her eyes. In a second I knew if it was sweet, funny Gemma who would make me breakfast and a nice cup of tea...or whether it was The GC. There was no breakfast with The GC.
“If I could have evicted The GC and lived with Gemma Collins, things would have been different.
“We might have been married with a family now," he added.
In 2014, Gemma was spotted with new beau Alexander Moss.
Gemma first met Alex in her early 20s after asking a pal to find her “a geezer – a bit of gangster but with a big heart."
They dated in 2014, but called time on their relationship the day before she flew out to star in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.
The reality star famously quit the jungle in a fragile state after just 72 hours, alleging she had been assaulted by Alex before she left.
He was subsequently arrested in November 2014 and due to answer bail the following January, but police dropped the investigation due to a lack of evidence.
A spokesperson for Essex Police told The Mirror: "There was not enough evidence to proceed with the case and bail has been dropped."
By 2016, Arg was back in Gemma's bed - the only problem was he'd also been in ex-girlfriend Lydia Bright's bed that same night.
Lydia said she was in "complete and utter emotional and physical shock" when she found out she had been two-timed.
"I had a plate of paella with Gemma the next day, we shared Arg the night before and a paella the next day," she added.
Gemma decided to leave Essex to get her head straight, sobbing to James: "I can't make you like me, I can't make you fall in love with me."
Gemma then dated bartender JJ Goodman after they took a shine to each other at the Cannes Lions festival in July 2016, and an excited Gemma even hoped he could be The One.
"He's a proper gentleman. Any man who can take treat me like a princess and then share a Club Sandwich with me is definitely 'The One' in my books," she gushed.
But Gemma and JJ seemingly did not make a go of things, and she didn't mention him again.
Gemma then met car expert Laurence Hern on Celebs Go Dating, but she harshly dumped him live on Loose Women after Arg asked her on a date.
"It's that old fashioned saying that you can't get a man then three men come along at once," she told the audience - which included Laurence.
"I was looking for love, I still am looking for love. But no offence - I really really adore Laurence but I've only known him five minutes," she said.
"Sorry Laurence. You really are an amazing man.
"If there's any single ladies out there that want to date Laurence...?"
Gemma then reunited with James once again after he managed to get himself clean, but all hell broke loose when a mortified Gemma dumped him for sharing a video of her snoring on Instagram.
Arg then fat-shamed her, sniping that she had "more rolls than Greggs" in a slew of abusive messages.
After some more time apart, Gemma and James reunited again, but they were met with more heartbreak.
Tragically, they suffered a miscarriage during the first lockdown, which Gemma admitted was "traumatic".
Gemma walked out for the last time when Arg reportedly told her he wanted an open relationship, and she says he was battling his drug addiction again.
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James spent a night in hospital after suffering two overdoses in the space of two months, with Gemma raising the alarm and calling the emergency services, credited with saving his life.
Gemma told Piers Morgan on Life Stories: "I was really happy with James, and we did get on, but the drugs changed him as a person, and I fought every day for three years to get him well.
Calling James the "love of her life", Gemma added: "The truth is it was only ever chaotic, not because we didn't love each other, not because there was good times.
"James became an addict."
After revealing she had finally learnt to be comfortable and happy while single, Gemma revealed in May that she had been back with ex-fiance Rami for six months.
She has also shared photos of herself smooching the repairs company owner on her Instagram.
Speaking in the series finale of her Love Lounge podcast, Gemma told listeners: "I've got a lovely partner now and I'm very happy, I never saw that coming and I never predicted it.
"This is what I'm saying, you really have to let your past go and move to the future because everyone's Prince Charming is out there somewhere, and I'm looking forward to having a summer of love."
She added: "This is the last Love Lounge of the series, but the summer of love is only just beginning - I'm definitely having a summer of love, so while I go on a mini break… Who knows, I could come back pregnant."
She also optimistically told fans: "Have faith, go forth, go conquer, everything that's meant for you is going to happen when you least expect it, and it's going to turn out absolutely lovely."
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