Gemma Collins' fears over wedding - 'She doesn't want to change for anyone'
Gemma Collins was left 'shaken' last week after receiving a menacing letter from a stalker who vowed to 'track her down'. The petrified former TOWIE star called the police after the letter arrived in the post – and has beefed up security at the rural Essex home she shares with her businessman fiancé, Rami Hawash.
Now, a source says that the ordeal has been giving Gemma, 44, sleepless nights. 'It's awful for her. She had such a lovely time at DJ Fat Tony's wedding and then got terribly ill and felt really low, then this awful letter arrived. 'Her home is her sanctuary, especially her garden. When she's at home, she's just Gemma, not 'The GC'. So for something to arrive at her home address, especially something so threatening and unpleasant, gave her a real shock.
Our source says Gemma felt 'sheer terror' at having her safe space 'invaded'. 'She's been losing sleep over it and is panicked so has upped her security, and she's worried about leaving the house.
'In the middle of planning her wedding with Rami, this is the last thing Gemma wants. But she realises that being in the public eye has its risks, and as much as she still wants her perfect day, she's thinking more about security measures for that, too. It's spooked her badly – but she won't let it ruin her big day.'
The star – who got engaged for the third time on Valentine's Day 2024 and says she will tie the knot next year – said the letter described its author's hatred for Gemma and that he would track her down, a source claimed to a newspaper.
They continued, 'Gemma was left shaken and scared for her safety after she received a threatening and abusive letter from a man expressing his extreme dislike for her and using menacing language.
'It was really nasty and made reference to tracking her down, so she called the police straight away. It was alarming that this man knew her home address, but she's already upped security and has round-the-clock guard dogs and cameras on site.
'She is always incredibly friendly with all her fans and happy to stop for pictures and a chat, so to have someone send such an unpleasant letter has really shocked her.'
Police have since launched an investigation, and the source says Gemma is thankful they've taken the threat seriously. They claim the reality star – who is being supported by family and friends – was reminded of Holly Willoughby 's stalker ordeal last year. Gavin Plumb is now in prison serving a life sentence after a foiled plot to kidnap, rape and kill the former This Morning presenter.
'She thought about what had happened to Holly Willoughby and her kidnap threat ordeal so didn't want to take any chances.'
Sadly, it's not the first time the star has had a brush with the dark side of fame. She told a podcast in May that she has had several stalkers over the years, who had threatened her and sent 'terrifying' letters to her boutique in Brentwood.
She said it 'played havoc on her mind' and was the reason she moved away from front-of-house work at the boutique. 'No one would believe the b****y crap I've had to deal with,' she confessed. 'I've had a woman stalker who wrote me a letter in white gloves and wanted to kill me. People would wish me dead. I'd get all sorts at the shop. People are weird. And that's why I came away from my shop.'
And, in 2019, it was revealed that Gemma had called the police after being targeted by a stalker – a man who she claimed had previously verbally abused her outside her home over six days. The experience was so traumatic that it made her question if she could stay in Essex.
Indeed, our source says, 'It's not the first time she's been through things like this, but that doesn't make her less scared. She's had to change parts of her life before due to serious threats, and as much as she doesn't want to have to change for anyone, she wants to feel safe.
'She'd love to say, 'It doesn't affect me,' but it does. It immediately made her think of what Holly Willoughby went through, and that you can't just ignore something so serious.'
On top of that, earlier this month, Gemma had been battling pneumonia. 'It's shocking, I've had it for over three weeks and was given steroids by my doctor,' she said at the time. 'I had to take them to get through DJ Fat Tony's wedding. But I'm off them now and the sickness is kicking back in.
'It's so frustrating because I normally have so much energy and I'm always loving life. But now I get really breathless really quickly and I feel like I'm dying.'
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