Gemma Collins, 44, Sparks Buzz Among Netizens with Throwback to Pre-Fame Life on I'm a Celebrity - Photos and Details

The famous blonde is back in the jungle and opening up like never before. From a spiritual encounter in a car showroom to the truth behind her infamous 72-hour exit, her story is far more layered than most realise, and the throwback photos waiting at the end of this article are not to be missed.

Gemma Collins, 45, has made a surprising return to the "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!" franchise, joining the South Africa All Stars camp after her first appearance in 2014 lasted just three days. And now, she's opening up like never before.

In a clip shared on the official "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!" Instagram page on 8 April 2026, Collins told her campmates about life before the spotlight. Before being cast on "The Only Way Is Essex" (TOWIE), she had been working in sales at BMW.

When asked whether she had enjoyed her time on the show, her answer was immediate. "I wouldn't change it for the world because it gave me a massive leg up," the television personality said.

What led her to TOWIE in the first place was anything but ordinary. Collins recalled sitting in the showroom one afternoon, sensing a presence behind her when a whisper reached her ear — "Your life's about to change."

Startled, she turned around, convinced someone was there — but no one was. Still, the message stayed with her. Not long after, Collins received an unexpected call inviting her to join TOWIE. "We've heard you're a bit of a character," she recalled being told.

Despite having no guarantee of success, Collins took a leap of faith, leaving her job for seven weeks to pursue the opportunity — a decision that would ultimately transform her life.

Yet fame did not come without its challenges. Reflecting on her time in the spotlight, the television personality admitted, "I felt that I was living in, like, a 'Truman Show.' I couldn't do it anymore."

Her candid reflections struck a chord with viewers, who quickly took to social media to share their thoughts. "Fair play @gemmacollins that was honest real and raw ❤️ [sic]," one person commented.

"Really seeing an entirely different side to Gemma!! Less celebrity and more of herself 🔥😍," wrote another. "Gemma is so humble a heart of gold no nonsense I think she's a beautiful person inside out ❤️ [sic]," one viewer shared.

A fourth added, "Gemma will make it funny. Love her or hate her she makes a good watch. Hope she smashes it and does herself proud." But to understand why this return matters so personally to Collins, it helps to know what the first one actually cost her.

Her 72-hour 2014 appearance became the subject of widespread ridicule, with most people unaware of what she had been through on the very day she flew out to Australia.

In a 2017 interview with The Sun, Collins revealed that her then-partner had subjected her to a serious physical incident just before she left. "I was really badly beaten," she shared, describing how he had her on the floor and repeatedly targeted a pre-existing spinal injury.

The television personality said she felt "powerless," adding, "I dropped all the charges because I was too scared to see it through. I wish to this day that I saw it through."

Collins also claimed that ITV had encouraged her to pull out, and revealed in 2024 on the "Everything I Know About Me" podcast that "no one was even honest about what happened to me, so I had to walk around with this shame that I'd something wrong."

The famous blonde has made no secret of what returning means to her. "Going on All Stars is a real moment for me in my career — it's redemption," she stated. "If I could get crowned the 'Legend', I would just feel complete in my life. Me quitting has been a shadow hanging over me."

What viewers may not realise is that Collins has been carrying far more than TV memories into that camp. In her autobiography, "Basically...My Life As A Real Essex Girl," she wrote about being targeted as a young girl.

Growing up in Romford, the television star recalled how she would "walk past certain gangs of girls" and sense their hostility from across the pavement.

Things got bad enough that Collins eventually moved from the Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls to the Raphael Independent School. It was her mother, Joan, who gradually rebuilt her confidence, telling her to "own" the room wherever she went.

As these stories resurfaced, many came to her defence online. "Bullying is horrible for the person going through it. An experience like that stays with a person for all of their life," one person wrote.

Another said that no matter how "mouthy" and "bratty" Collins could come across to some, it did not warrant her ever being treated badly. "No bludy wonder she stands up for herself and that takes GUTS [sic]!" they added.

Now, the woman stepping back into that South Africa camp in 2026 is not the same one who left Australia after 72 hours in 2014.

She has said as much herself, and for anyone who has followed Collins' story from the BMW showroom to the jungle and everything in between, it is not difficult to believe her. A selection of photographs from those earlier chapters, before the fame and during its earliest days, can be found below.

And if those throwback photos are not enough to convince you that the television star has come a long way, her second episode in camp certainly will be. Because when she arrived in the South Africa jungle, the producers wasted absolutely no time.

Collins made her debut in the South Africa camp during the second episode of "I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! South Africa," and was thrown straight into a head-to-head eating trial with fellow new arrival Craig Charles by hosts Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.

Seven rounds of increasingly challenging "delicacies" stood between the pair and dinner for their campmates.

The trial opened with Critter Canapés — blended ants' eggs piped onto critter pastry crackers. Both contestants had to secretly choose how many they could eat, with the higher number committed to finishing the full count.

Collins pledged eight crackers and Charles pledged seven, meaning the former had to eat every single one to claim the points for her team. She gagged and cried through all of them, but still finished.

Round two brought cocktail sausages made from bull's penis. Charles pledged ten portions and Collins pledged five, so he took on the full ten for his team. He powered through and won every point.

Round three was Terror-ine — chicken hearts and intestines. Charles chose three portions and Collins chose two. He attempted all three but could not finish, and Collins, needing only two portions to claim her points, also could not manage it.

Fish Eye Pie arrived in round four — critter pastry filled with fish eyes. Both chose one piece each before being offered a bonus point for a second. Collins said no, Charles said yes, and he finished it.

Round five, Brain Freeze made from springbok brain, produced the trial's most memorable exchange. When offered a bonus point for a second portion, Collins agreed and Charles did not.

But in the end, the television personality just could not keep it down. The round ultimately ended in a forfeit, with the 45-year-old declaring, "Sorry. I can't. I'm going to be hospitalised." Charles was then offered the same bonus point for his single portion, but he declined.

Round six was Pig Nodies, made from pig testicles. Collins pledged two portions and Charles stopped at one. This time, she delivered on both and claimed the points.

Then came the finale. Bloody Mury shots, a blend of bull's heart and blood, started with both contestants choosing ten portions each. The numbers crept steadily upwards as neither backed down, until Collins declared she would down the entire tray of 30.

Charles matched her without hesitation, turning the round into a flat race against the clock, with 30 points for whoever got there first. However, viewers will have to return for the next episode to find out who won.

Still, fans watching at home were quick to respond, and the praise came immediately. "Well done Gemma, I'd be sick if I tried that, you're a star!" one viewer wrote, while others seemed taken aback.

"Like a different lady .. so impressed [sic]," one commented, while another added, "She's like a different person."

The price of appearing on such a trial also inspired some reflection. "I could NEVER do eating trials unless I got paid more than 5 million pounds," one viewer shared, which felt entirely reasonable given the menu.

Several viewers also took notice of Gemma Collins's appearance on screen. "Thought Gemma had lost a lot of weight," one wrote, while another typed, "Thought she had lost alot of weight she won't last [sic]."

A third jumped in with some context, noting, "I thought the same but this was last year so maybe she has since this was filmed."

As for what comes next in camp, at least one viewer was already weighing what lies ahead. "Hard to imagine GC doing any physical tasks or ones with height involved ..but she my surprise us all... [sic]," they added.

Whatever the next episode holds, the trial itself needs to be seen to be believed. Scroll down for a full look at the action as it unfolded, straight from the South African bush.