BEFORE GC
Skinny Gemma Collins’ throwback snaps revealed after star bravely told fans why she piled on the weight
GEMMA Collins has shared a series of throwback pictures showing that she's always been body confident at any weight.
The Towie star, 39, shared the skinny snaps after bravely opening up about her battle with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal condition that caused her to gain weight after her 20s.
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Gemma has shared a series of snaps from her younger years - before she was diagnosed with the condition - which shows an almost unrecognisable GC.
One throwback photo shows a slim Gemma in a leopard print swimsuit - a bold style choice she has kept to this day.
Whereas another shows Gemma in fancy dress wearing a white bra and hotpants, with tights and a halo.
She sparked the conversation with her 1.8 million followers about suffering from PCOS while sharing a holiday throwback snap.
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What is polycystic ovary syndrome?
POLYCYSTIC ovary syndrome affects one in five women and has an impact on how ovaries function.
According to the NHS, symptoms will often be experienced in early twenties or late teens and one of the symptoms is weight gain.
Sufferers can struggle to release an egg to be fertilised making it often extremely difficult to fall pregnant.
For many, the only hint of PCOS is irregular periods, while in more severe cases sufferers can be left with embarrassing hair growth on their faces, chest, back and backside.
Having polycystic ovaries also increases a woman's chance of developing type 2 diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and sleep apnoea later in life, the NHS warned.
Wearing a black and purple floral summer dress with black high heels, Gemma beamed at the camera as she displayed a slimmer frame.
And Gemma asked her followers to be kind as "lots of people have bullied" her because of the weight gain.
She wrote on Instagram: "As you can see guys when I was in my 20s I was very slim then I was told I had PCOS and it’s been a struggle ever since however I make the most of myself and remain positive because it’s what in your heart counts the most sending love to all the PCOS sufferers it’s not easy and always be kind people people are not always over weight because of all the stereo typical bullying comments !!!
"I CHOSE to RISE ABOVE and continued to promote body confidence even when I had my own personal struggles and the secret to my success was just being ME !
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"Lots of people have bullied me taunted me and also early on in the industry loose weight Your too fat to promote my brand !!! It’s endless !!!
"Cough cough .... where are you people now. WHERE AM I, RISE HIGHER. Always BELIEVE IN YOU. my heart has always been the same no matter of my size."
Gemma previously spoke out about her shrinking frame, telling fans that her "secret" to losing three stone is down to keeping up with her weight loss injections.
Last year, The Sun Online exclusively revealed The GC was on a new weight loss plan , which are injections that act as an appetite suppressant.
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Despite the temptation of ditching her diet and slacking on exercise, Gemma has maintained her weight loss - and fans have been desperate to know how.
"Lots of you been asking me how I am looking so good," Gemma said today.
";I need to tell about how amazing the team at Skinny Jab have been throughout lockdown.
"I think it’s safe to say we’ve all had those days over these past month where we’ve felt very low with no motivation to do anything.
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"But keeping on track of my weight loss and continuing to stay motivated has never been easier with skinny jab on board.
"Honestly, Caroline and her team have been the best support! Not only have they kept my supply of jabs up to date, they’ve also been providing me with meals plans and weekly check ups with how I’m getting on."
However, Gemma came under fire from fans - who slammed her for promoting the "dangerous" jabs.
Commenting on the post, one follower wrote: "No no no. Please please don’t advocate that young girls and woman need to inject themselves to lose weight and be accepted. This is dangerous.";
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Another agreed: "What about the young girls who look up to you? Completely irresponsible Gemma. Really disappointed."
A third added: "No please you have always promoted body positivity... if u want to loose weight good on you but please continue with your positive and sensible approach. Skinny jabs are not the way !!!!"
This is not the first time the star has been slammed for plugging the injections, which experts have warned could be "life-threatening".
Weight loss injections should always be prescribed by a doctor, with nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert previously telling The Sun: "Any form of self-injection can be risky and an area that only your GP or health professional can advise you on, risk of infection, place of injection, the dose inside."
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