Gemma Collins reveals the four medical reasons why she struggles to lose weight and insists her plus-sized body isn’t down to her ‘eating s**t’

Gemma Collins revealed the four medical reasons she has struggled to control her weight over the years and said she is not her size because she is 'always eating s**t'.

The TOWIE star, 42, told MailOnline in an exclusive interview that before she even tried to lose weight, she faced the debilitating hurdles of an underactive thyroid, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), metabolic syndrome and low iron levels.

She explained that she has always loved herself and has never looked at her body and thought it was “disgusting,” but knew there came a time when she had to do something about it.

The TV personality said she won't be unhappy and thin all her life if she can remain her bubbly self while eating a bowl of garlic prawns.

Gemma told MailOnline: 'I have always loved myself. Honestly, I've never looked at myself and thought, 'Oh, I'm disgusting.' I mean, there's always something I can do if I lose a little weight.

“But like I said, you know, I'm not going to be unhappy my whole life. I have four things working against me before I even started with PCOS, Underactive Thyroid, and Metabolic Syndrome.

“You know, it's all these things, but I'm constantly negative before I'm positive. I won't let it bring me down.

'This is me. You know Hugh Jackman, the greatest showman. It's such a powerful song. This is me. And I don't think anyone would want a boring, miserable GC.

'I've done every diet under the sun. I started Slimming World last month and it's been great. But I've been working ever since.

“I haven't been able to go for two weeks, but yeah, I think I'll go back there, but at the end of the day I just love myself, you know, you just have to stay positive about it. You know, you can't let yourself be put off by it.'

Gemma revealed she has considered a range of options to help her manage her weight, but said some methods are too risky and cannot guarantee her safety.

The blonde beauty explained that she is too worried to take drastic measures, such as diet pills or surgery, in case she becomes fragile or loses her hair.

She said: 'A lot of people have gastric bands, you know, and they look completely transformed, unbelievable.

“I know a lot of people who have heard that he did that, but I just don't know either. Yes, I'll go and see, I'd look great. Yes, everyone will want to know me.

At the end of the day, if you wanted to know me when I was growing up, you know, you won't know me now, Hun, you know what I mean?

'My weight is not because I eat poorly all the time. I have many factors that are very difficult for me, such as someone else to lose weight.

'And I do think: oh, should I take it easy? You know, but I don't think the surgery is an easy route because you have to do a lot of things after and before, and I just wouldn't want it to affect my personality.

'You know, my lucky charm in life is my personality. And I would just hate to be miserable and skinny.

“I'd rather be overweight, a little chubby, and have a great personality, which has always gotten me through life anyway, than a miserable bitch, you know?

“But I know, like there's never any guarantees. If someone could guarantee me that, surgery would be easy, and I'll be fine. And you know, you won't lose your hair and you won't get weak.'

Gemma has had a rollercoaster with her weight as she battles trolls over the past two decades.

In her 20s, Gemma was a size 10, but after being diagnosed with PCOS, she put on some weight.

She admitted that she never saw the weight creep in during her 20s because she used it as an emotional coping mechanism.

Gemma first appeared on TOWIE in 2011. When she was 30 and keen to be the center of attention, she signed up for a weight loss bootcamp where she lost an impressive three stone.

The former reality star was paid £15,000 for photos of her transformation.

By 2014, she had become a household name, starring in I'm A Celebrity. Over the three years, she gained back what she had lost, and then some.

Dealing with her greater fame, she relied on her food comforts and tipped the scales at 21 stone (size 22) – her heaviest recorded weight.

But in typical Yoyo Dieter fashion, she had fans in an uproar in 2015 when she underwent a juice cleanse in Portugal, lost a further three stone and dropped to a size 14 in four weeks.

The star also tried a hypno-gastric band the same year and claimed it made her feel full, causing her to stop eating.

In 2017, she received the heartbreaking news that her egg count was low and her weight would make it harder for her to conceive.

She was offered a gastric band, but she refused, saying she would lose the weight herself.

Gemma starred in Strictly Come Dancing in 2019, which saw the star start to tighten up again.

Each dance rehearsal was a full workout with at least 1,000 calories burned per session. With three sessions a week she really lost the kilos.

While she said she would keep up the exercise, Gemma soon resorted to the controversial skinny jabs, which saw her lose a further three stone.

The star definitely had a more trimmed waist in 2020, and while her weight fluctuated a bit more in 2021, she quickly decided to shred the fat naturally.

In 2022, Gemma embarked on a salad obsession, which saw her lose three and a half stone.

She recently hired a personal trainer and started Slimming World and says she is now ready to shed the pounds naturally and healthily.