I wooed my 18-year-old Italian lover in a very unusual way, says Towie’s James Argent
YOU could be forgiven for wondering how former Towie star James Argent managed to start a romance with a stunning Italian girlfriend almost half his age.
But now The Sun on Sunday can reveal that he wooed 18-year-old actress Stella Turian by serenading her with love songs and Mafia movie marathons in his Essex mansion.
Loveable Arg, 34, said: “Stella is extremely intelligent, very talented and she’s fluent in four languages, including English, which is lucky, as my Italian’s not great, although it’s improving.
"And she’s beautiful, too. “I feel very lucky.
"Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remind myself this is all really happening.”
While he may have felt intimidated by multilingual Stella, Arg was still able to charm her.
READ MORE ON RELATIONSHIPS
He revealed: “I’m lucky enough to have a home cinema — there have to be some perks to being in showbiz — and I’m obsessed with Mafia films, so I made her watch Goodfellas and some Sopranos and Casino too.”
And Arg, who cheated death three years ago after a series of cocaine overdoses, has been honest with his new love about his chequered past.
He said: “We’ve got an amazing connection. She is extremely supportive.
"And she knows everything there is to know about me.
Most read in The Sun
“I’ve sat down with her and explained all the things that I’ve gone through in my life, the ups and downs I’ve had.”
SERENADED EACH OTHER
The romantic star, who performs as a wedding singer all over Europe with The Arg Band, revealed it was a shared passion for music that brought the besotted couple together after he attended a friend’s wedding in Mykonos, Greece, in June.
He said: “We bumped into each other at a place called Nammos and just had a nice chat.
“She showed me some clips of her singing and I showed some clips of me singing.
“I love singing Rat Pack tunes and she sings these beautiful Italian love songs, so we serenaded each other. We exchanged numbers.
“After she did a singing performance, she’d send me a video of it and I’d have a look and I’d do the same when I was performing with my band.
"She gave my singing her seal of approval, too!”
The pair continued messaging throughout the summer, then Arg realised he was developing strong feelings for Verona-based Stella.
He added: “By September I felt I had to see her properly to find out if we were going to be more than friends, so I plucked up the courage and flew out to Italy to see her.
“We’d only met that once in Mykonos and had spoken a lot on the phone and FaceTime.
"I was incredibly nervous going out there because I thought she might see me and there might not be a connection.
“The second we saw each other that day we realised there was an amazing link between us and that we would like to be more than friends, and it’s just grown.”
And Stella, who is 16 years younger than Arg and was six when he made his first TV appearance on Towie, has been undaunted by his rollercoaster past.
He said: “A lot of big stuff has happened to me and I feel, with any relationship, for me to get involved I have to lay your cards on the table and be honest.
“There are no shocks. There are no skeletons in the cupboard and I feel very happy.”
The couple have met each other’s families and will be together at Christmas.
But Arg categorically denied reports that they plan to live together soon.
He added: “We’re boyfriend and girlfriend but we’re absolutely not moving in together.
“She’s super-busy with her work in Italy and I’m super-busy with my work in London and Essex.
“But we’re going to continue to make the effort to travel to see each other and I’m sure we can make it work.
“She loves Essex and London and I love Italy, so it’s all good.”
After appearing as The Chief of Police in Aladdin at the Woodville Theatre in Gravesend, Kent, this Christmas, Arg will be back on our TV screens in the new year in the next instalment of Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins.
Viewers will see him get up close and personal with disgraced former Health Secretary and I’m A Celebrity campmate Matt Hancock.
“I actually got on well with him,” Arg admits. “Matt’s got a love for music so we had good chats.
“We filmed the show in Thailand, and he slept next to me.
"We lived in and out of each other’s pockets pretty much for a week. I don’t really have a bad thing to say about him.”
Arg also revealed that as well as loving Ed Sheeran, Hancock is a big fan of the edgy British grime artist Skepta.
“He told me he’s a Skepta fan. He’s got a deep love for Skepta. Genuinely. I swear to God,” Arg explained.
As well as making new friends, Arg has also kept in touch with old ones, insisting he is on “good terms” with his exes Gemma Collins, 41, and Lydia Bright, 31.
He said: “It says a lot about a person when you can be friends with your exes.”
He also still spends time with his old pals from the Towie cast including Mark Wright, 35, and Joey Essex, 32.
But since going teetotal his life–style has changed considerably, especially at gigs with his band.
He said: “I’d be drinking while performing. I would stay and join in with the after-party, but now I’m a true pro.
"I get there, do my soundcheck, do my set-up, I drink honey and lemon and ginger to get my voice ready.
"I do the performance and stay for a maximum of 30 minutes after to do a meet-and-greet, then I go home. I’m extremely professional now.”
Away from the spotlight, 6ft Arg, who now weighs a healthy 14½st after tipping the scales at 27st, has been focusing on his recovery from a seven-year cocaine addiction.
He once admitted to suffering paranoia and psychosis after taking drugs for three days straight on his own in the pitch black.
But now he insists: “I’m clean, I’m sober. I’m completely teetotal and I’m exercising regularly.
"When I think about the transformation I’ve made physically and mentally, it’s pretty epic.
"When I reached 27st, I knew I’d come to a point where I needed to do something pretty quick. I didn’t have time on my hands.
“I look back at pictures of myself at my largest and I can’t believe how big I was.
"There were so many everyday things I just couldn’t do, like even tying my own shoelaces.
“Now I’ve got a spring in my step and I’m full of energy. I’m going down the gym, I’m going on long walks, I’m doing runs.”
The catalyst for Arg’s transformation was his April 2021 gastric sleeve operation and some intensive therapy.
He adds: “The gastric sleeve really helps me with portion control, but I do still have to make the right choices.
"And the counselling has been really useful. I was treated in an eating disorder unit and I learned a lot.
“I’ve now got the tools to help myself if I’m struggling.
"For me, it’s about being organised and having a structured routine, as when I have too much time on my hands or when I’m bored or lonely I can really struggle.
“But I have friends I can talk to if I need support, including Stella.
“I would say that I am happier than I’ve ever been, and I just want to continue to be happy and healthy.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More on The Sun
“I’ve had a lot of tough lessons but it’s probably made me the man I am today, and I like to feel that I’m a better person for it.”
- James is appearing in Aladdin in Gravesend, Kent, from December 2 to January 1.