Gemma Collins has given the nation many a laugh with her witty one-liners and memeable behaviour - but one thing that isn't a laughing matter is how her on/off boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent referred to her as a "fat joke" on her reality show, Diva Forever.
Viewers were left in shock after the ITV star rehashed the hurtful comments her 31-year-old other half told her as she sat down with Real Housewives of Cheshire's Dawn Ward and insisted that their romance was over for good.
Visibly upset, the 38-year-old claimed Arg told her: "He says to me 'you're a fat joke and a car crash'."
While Dawn was taken aback by the comments, Gemma admitted that it wasn't all he said and shared more body-shamming comments he directed towards her.
"He says, 'you're only famous because you're a fat joke'," she continued. "'You're the fat girl everyone laughs at'.
"You know late night TV? Some old Towie's played. I watched one the other day and I was like, 'I wasn't even big then'.
"But he was putting me down then, and he's still putting me down now. He only wants to be around me when it's benefiting him." PRETTY52 have contacted James 'Arg' Argent's rep for comment.
Although the public are used to seeing Gemma play a court jester of sorts, this kind treatment is completely unacceptable, and no person should have to deal with such vitriolic comments from someone they love - and plenty of Twitter users agreed.
One viewer wrote: "#DivaForever to hear what ARG says to her and the way he treats her is absolutely disgusting no woman should ever be treated like that she seems such a kind hearted woman let the hold back in your life go girl and make sure he doesn't come back!"
"I honestly don't know how Gemma Collins would want to be with someone like Arg, for years we have watched him put her down and tear her apart!" another claimed.
"He's literally emotionally draining her it's shocking to watch tbh".
A third shared: "Gemma is a strong, tough woman. It baffles me how she lets Arg do this sh*t to her".
"Alarm bells ringing with Gemma's and Arg's relationship it's the most unhealthy toxic situation I've ever come across.... Needs aborting ASAP!" a viewer penned.
And while outrage among viewers is justified, Arg's alleged fat-shaming comments aren't - especially since Gemma, who split from her co-star in June, has been so vocal about her body image battle over the years.
Meanwhile, Arg himself has discussed his own weight battle and in May vowed to slim down on This Morning for the good of his health. He has since then documented his weightloss journey on social media and shared his hope to swim the English Channel as part of Channel 4's Sink or Swim.
In a world that judges your success by your weight, is this really the kind of (or lack thereof) support you need from your loved ones?
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Gemma Collins, TV News, TV Entertainment
