James 'Arg' Argent has "strong feelings" for Gemma Collins.
James 'Arg' Argent
The 30-year-old reality star has spoken candidly about his on/off lover, and admitted after spending more time together recently he has realised they are "more than friends".
Speaking to the panel on ITV's 'Loose Women' on Friday (23.03.18), he said: "The last few months have gone by and I've kind of realised, do you know what? I do have some really strong feelings for her.
"When I'm not with her I miss her a lot. When I am with her we're constantly laughing and getting on.
"I clearly fancy her. We've had many kisses and cuddles over the years. It's definitely more than friends."
Arg opened up about spending more time together, and also conceded that he didn't make Gemma his priority in the past.
He explained: "I'll be honest with you girls, I'm sure you're well aware, me and Gemma have been spending a lot of time together recently.
"In the past I kind of always put Gemma second. I always treated us two as a bit of a laugh, a bit of a joke and stuff."
The star - who appeared alongside Gemma on reality show 'The Only Way is Essex' - admitted he could have been "in denial" about his feelings, and explained "things have changed" more recently.
He said: "Maybe I've been in denial and a bit confused... a bit of an understatement.
"Obviously I've always had a soft spot for Gemma. But I kind of thought that maybe we were purely mates that had a bit of fun, not too serious. It honestly hasn't been until the last few months that things have changed."
His comments come after Gemma appeared to dump her new boyfriend Lawrence - who she met on 'Celebs Go Dating' - live on television earlier this month, during her own 'Loose Women' appearance.
When asked about how her romance is going, Gemma said that she is now receiving more male attention than ever, saying: "I have to say it's like the old fashioned saying you can't get a man and then three come along at once.
"[Arg] called me and was like, 'Gem can I take you on a date tonight?' What shall I do?"
The 'Loose Women' panel were quick to point out that her current lover was in the audience, but that didn't stop the star from getting emotional as she discussed her past relationship.
When the subject of her eventually marrying Arg was brought up, she said: "I'm getting all emotional, sorry Lawrence. It's been six years he still hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend so unless he asks me I'm definitely going to move on."
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