Gemma Collins looked sensational as she posed up a storm in a pink cut-out swimsuit for an empowering Instagram post on Friday. The TOWIE star, 46, who has shed 3.5st thanks to weight loss jabs, insisted 'confidence was not a dress size' as she encouraged fans to also feel confident in swimwear this summer.
Gemma beamed for the camera in the stylish bather which she wore with gold jewellery and a pair of oversized shades. She captioned the post: 'Wear the swimsuit darlings … Your body is not here to apologise. It’s here to live, to swim, to laugh, to glow in the sunshine and take up every inch of joy it deserves'.
'Wear the swimsuit. Take the photo. Walk the beach. Dive in anyway. Confidence is not a dress size, it’s an energy. And the most beautiful thing anyone can wear is self love with zero permission NEEDED'.
Just hours earlier Gemma found herself slapped with a parking ticket on her £100K Land Rover after enjoying lunch with pals in Woodford, Essex. She turned heads as she emerged from the restaurant in a garish River Island co-ord which boasted a neon floral print. Gemma completed the look with pink flip flops, shades and leopard print handbag while strolling over to discover the fine on her windscreen.
It hasn't been the best week for the reality TV favourite after receiving backlash for her appearance in an advert with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson in which the pair met to discuss education reforms. Gemma soon hit back at trolls and said she was 'honoured' to record a video about caring for SEND children as she insisted it is a 'topic close to my heart'.
The clip - seemingly designed to take advantage of a The Devil Wears Prada trend - saw Gemma arrive at the Department for Education and ask staff: 'Right. What are we doing to help the children?' before being shown into the minister's office. Despite it going viral, she received widespread confusion over the video, as parents of SEND children questioned whether she was the right choice for such a promotion.
But Gemma has hit back at critics, saying she did not receive any payment for taking part and insisting she does have experience of the issue. She cryptically said it is something she has been 'dealing with', adding that 'all will become clear'. In videos posted on Instagram, she told fans that she understands 'more than people think' and that provision for SEND children is 'a topic close to my heart'.
'I just want to come on and say stay tuned because I do have experience with SEND, and you know I don't really want at this stage to go into it that much, but you know, I do understand a little bit more than people think,' she said. 'Just trying to spread positivity and yeah it's all going to become clear very soon.'
In a second clip she said: 'At the end of the day I'm getting attention, I wasn't paid, I'm creating a lot of noise around the subject so please bear in mind that it's what I'm there to do for everyone and get people talking.' She added that she hadn't been paid to take part in the video, saying: 'I was honoured to do it and you know it is a topic close to my heart that I've been dealing with and it's all going to become clear hun.'
Collins also visited Focus 1st Academy this week, a specialist independent school, where she talked to staff and students about SEN issues. Headteacher Marina Savva told the Daily Mail: 'Gemma Collins was one of the most uplifting inspirational speakers that we’ve ever had. She lifted the students up, she gave them hope, she gave them something to aspire to. She knew them. I think give credit where credit's due.' She added that Gemma 'wishes she could have attended a school like ours' during her own school years, because 'she had her own needs and struggles during her school time'. 'She found it hard to concentrate at lengths of time. She didn't have very many friends and she found it difficult. Her social skills back then were not where they should have been. She started to become a bit of a non-attender.'
