Gemma Collins reveals secret battle with PTSD after nearly losing Essex home while her father ‘was dying’
GEMMA Collins revealed her secret PTSD battle after nearly losing her Essex home while her father was seriously ill with Covid.
The reality star, 41, said her accounts with all her money were frozen two years ago and she was put through “hell”, as her house sale was about to go through at the time.
The Essex favourite said the experience left her traumatised and “embarrassed”.
Gemma jumped on an Instagram live with a small business owner friend called Andie and opened up about the stressful experience, while her dad was battling the virus in hospital last year.
She said: “This happened to me two years ago. The shock, the embarrassment, I couldn’t sleep, I felt sick, I felt like I was dodgy, like ‘am I a criminal?’
“You know what, the guy at the end of the phone, I was so distressed, I was crying on the phone, I was saying, I’m going to lose my house, I’m going to lose my house!
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“They are reading from a script, no emotion, telling you, ‘go into the branch.’
“I couldn’t see my dad in the hospital. I went into the branch and the lady was very nice, I started crying in the bank. They didn’t care.”
Gemma admitted she was in fear that she would lose her dream £1.3m Essex home
“I would have lost my house, in that account I had my life savings,” she continued.
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“When I saw you (Andie) crying it resonated with me so much because that was me two years ago, I felt broken, I felt helpless, I felt despair.
“I just thought I cannot believe this is still going on.
“I never mentioned it to anyone. I was supposed to go to the financial ombudsman, but my father was dying. I was buying a house, which should have been an amazing experience.
“I was traumatised, really I’ve suffered PTSD over that experience.
“I know a few people it has happened to. Some big names on TV – they’re doing it left, right and centre.”
Gemma’s shock admission comes after she revealed that she’s been forced to “cut back” and switch off her heating amid the cost-of-living crisis.
She admitted she’s become “mindful” about the rising cost of living and has taken steps to reduce her spending.
“I’m going to spend October and November trying to make sensible cutbacks because if you look after the pennies they look after you,” the 41-year-old Essex babe said on her GC podcast.
“I have done something with every meal time, I go into my cupboards and make some serious cutbacks like everyone else.
“It is scary, mortgages are going up, electrics going up.
“I’m telling everyone not to put the heating on in my house.
“I’m making sure every lights are off, I normally have every TV switched on in the room – not necessarily watching something, but I’d have TV on in one room, music on in the other, but I’ve really been mindful to cut back on all of that.”
The star admitted that she’s making meals from leftovers in her fridge to reduce her food shopping each week.
She explained that she’s been growing her own fruit and veg to stop her “wasting money”.
The star recently told dans she’s swapping to candles to save money on her electricity bills.
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Gemma snapped up the glass-fronted, open plan home last year and it’s no surprise that it’s rather costly to keep warm.
Her house boasts high ceilings supported by wooden beams, a spectacular spiral light feature, and dozens of windows including floor to ceiling glass windows that let in plenty of light.
