Gemma Collins shows off her huge diamond engagement ring as she and Rami Hawash open up to OK! on his surprise proposal, their “fabulous” wedding plans and the celebrity guest list
WORDS: EVE MACDONALD PHOTOGRAPHER: CHELSEA WHITE VIDEOGRAPHER: CHEOLAN JEONG STYLING: LUCAS ARMITAGE ASSISTED BY ERIN SMITH AND JAMES KING MAKE-UP: LISA LITTLE HAIR: EDWARD TAYLOR AND NICHOLAS JAMES TUCKER HAIR EXTENSIONS: SWAY PRE-SHOOT TREATMENTS: FACEGYM FLOWERS AND STYLING: FULFORD FLOWERS JEWELLERY: NAZAR LONDON RAMI IS A BRAND MODEL FOR SPIRIT, EPPING
HAPPY EVER AFTER
Gemma Collins and Rami Hawash are truly on cloud nine when OK! pays a visit to the former TOWIE star’s huge home in Chelmsford.
Although we’re here to learn every detail about businessman Rami’s romantic proposal in the Maldives, it’s Gemma’s impressive collection of gigantic animals – including a 9ft giraffe in her living room and two wooden elephants in the garden, which were originally in London’s Green Park – that really catches the eye.
After falling in love 14 years ago, Rami finally popped the question last month. There was a rumour that the couple were already engaged, but Gemma, 43, quickly quashes that idea.
“It’s official this time,” says Gemma, who can’t stop staring at her huge platinum and diamond engagement ring. “He’s finally put a ring on it.”
Beneath the loud “GC” exterior and Essex bravado, she’s still just a girl who has always hoped for her happily ever after.
“It was the best surprise when Rami proposed. I wasn’t even wearing a bra,” Gemma laughs. “But I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Gemma, who can barely contain her excitement for their future together, admits that when Rami is away travelling for work, she can’t bear to sleep in what she calls their “marital boudoir”.
“I have my own private bedroom and it’s just fabulous,” she explains, as she describes an all-pink room that includes a life-sized gorilla and plush velvet accessories. “If ever we have a night apart I never sleep in our bed, I’ll go to my pink one.”
Long gone is her Diva Forever lifestyle as Gemma, who is stepmum to Rami’s son Tristan, welcomes a much calmer way of life at home caring for her animals,
