EXC: TOWIE’s Saffron Lempriere SLAMS Gemma Collins for claiming there are ‘no stars’ on the show

TOWIE’s Saffron Lempriere has criticized Gemma Collins for her criticism of the reality show, which made her famous.

Former cast member Gemma, 42, tuned into a recent episode denouncing the ‘appalling’ ITVBe program for having ‘no stars’, while vowing never to return.

And in an exclusive interview with MailOnline, her ex-best friend Saffron, 30, didn’t bite her tongue when asked about the dig.

The reality star, 30, reignited her feud with The GC, insisting she is ‘unhappy’ and ‘bored of her own life’ – and that it would be ‘an insult’ to be justified as a star by her.

She said, “TOWIE put her on the map. She made a lot of money through TOWIE. I ran her business for her. She made a fortune.

“And because she’s not into it and she’s bored with her own life and seeing this game happen now, she’s unhappy and she needs to dig and that’s basically my return.”

Junaid Ahmed added, “She said there are no stars in the show. There are five stars here.’

Saffron continued, “But I’m not offended by that. Gemma Collins justifying me as a star would be an insult anyway. It’s bad enough to be constantly compared.

“But what I’m saying is that none of us take her opinion to heart. None of us are going to lose sleeping because Gemma says bad things about the show. We’re fine and it’s still here.’

It’s not the first time Saffron has done a savage dig at her former best friend.

In 2021, she participated in a candid question and answer session where she encouraged fans to write assumptions about her and she would confirm whether they were true or false.

During the session, Saffron spoke candidly about her falling out with Gemma, cheekily saying that eight years of friendship was “enough.”

The reality star first revealed in September that she was “no longer in talks” with Gemma and that they had gone their “separate ways.”

Shock: Former cast member Gemma, 42, tuned into a recent episode denouncing the ‘appalling’ ITVBe program for having ‘no stars’, while vowing never to return

Happier times: Saffron (right) said, ‘None of us go to sleep because Gemma says bad things about the show. We’re doing well and it’s still there’ (pictured in 2018)

When asked about their fallout, a fan asked, “You’ve always been friends with Gemma Collins,” to which Saffron replied with an animated face, adding, “8 years was enough,” followed by a crying laughing emoji.

While another follower wrote, “You and Gemma aren’t friends” to which Saffron responded with, “That’s right, I’ve been asked this about 30 times already. No problem.’

Later in the session, another fan asked, “Gemma was the cause of your friendship ending?” She seems to be losing a lot of friends,” with Saffron pulling a peace sign and adding a GIF of “facts.”

Saffron also admitted to being “hurt” by men and friends in the past and was also asked if she’d had a fight with Gemma about animals.

To which she replied, “I don’t know what this is about…probably more bs**t.”

Saffron also seemed to be doing a cryptic dig about not putting up with “fake s**t” and that she “cares too much.”

A fan said that the reality star doesn’t seem to hold back from her feelings about people, which Saffron confirmed was true.

She added, “I can’t stand fake shit, not to the point of slacking when I love, I love when I don’t, I don’t.”

Ouch! Her best ex-girlfriend certainly didn’t bite her tongue when asked about the dig (LR: Gemma and Saffron pictured in 2019)

While another fan assumed Saffron is a “real girl” who likes to be loved, to which the reality star commented, “I love to love, you never really care if you care too much about the wrong person, that’s a reflection of them not You. Thank you [heart emoji].’

MailOnline reached out to Gemma’s rep for comment at the time.

Saffron revealed that year that she “no longer talks” to Gemma and described how the pair have gone their “separate ways.”

The reality star described how she and the Diva Forever star “were like sisters,” but declined to elaborate on the “reasons” they split.

Saffron explained how the lockdown “made her realize” who her “real friends” were, saying she had “wasted a lot of energy and time doing things I shouldn’t have”.

Speaking with host and co-star Bobby Norris and Stephen Leng on the Access All Areas show for FUBAR Radio she said: ‘Me and Gemma don’t talk anymore. I wish her all the best and that’s about it.’

She continued, “Me and Gemma were good friends for a long time.

“I worked with her in clothing and we were good friends. We really were like sisters and we rowed like sisters and loved each other like sisters.’

The TV star appeared in Gemma Collins: Diva Espana and the pair remained friends with Saffron and joined the cast of TOWIE in 2018.

Speaking about why the couple ended their friendship, she said, “There are reasons, but I’m not ready to discuss them.

‘We went our separate ways. She is successful, I wish her all the luck, the best and that’s it.’

The Only Way is Essex continues on Sunday at 9pm on ITVBe.