James Argent treats his disastrous love life

James Argent has revealed he recently secretly dated a woman at his gym, but has now turned his back on romance to focus on recovering from drug addiction.

The former TOWIE star, 34, told MailOnline in an exclusive interview that he made an appointment with TGI Fridays after leaving it too late to book anywhere on New Year’s Eve. Valentine earlier this year.

Arg, who took his sweetheart to dinner where he ate fajitas and mocktails ahead of the special screening of The Bodyguard at Westfield Stratford, revealed there hasn’t been a second date since.

The reality personality said part of the reason was that he didn’t feel “ready” for anything serious while pledging to stay sober and healthy after a long battle with drug addiction and binge eating.

Clarifying that this woman was different from those previously reported, Arg said: “At the moment I am single and although there have been stories recently that there is a mystery girl…

“I went on a date on Valentine’s Day and met her at the gym.”

He said: ‘I couldn’t get booked into any restaurant so we ended up going for TGI Fridays. I had chicken fajitas and a mocktail so that was good and I definitely had a Tango Ice Blast.

Ex-files: The TV star has been linked to Gemma Collins, 41, with whom he had an on-and-off relationship since 2012 before finally calling it quits in 2020

Arg then revealed that he doesn’t think the romance will go any further due to him having mutual friends and being a little “too close to home”.

He explained: ‘There was no second date and that’s the truth. I think it’s a bit close to home because we both go to the same gym and have mutual friends but I’ll definitely see them again. I think we’ve both just been busy.

The TV star has been linked to Gemma Collins, 41, who he had an on-and-off relationship with since 2012 before finally calling it quits in 2020.

Don’t move on: Arg, who took his sweetheart to dinner where he ate fajitas and drank mocktails before the special screening of The Bodyguard at Westfield Stratford, revealed there was no second date you since

Arg’s other high-profile romance was with another of his former co-star Lydia Bright, with whom he remains close friends to this day.

Arg said he kept his options open with other love interests, but wasn’t looking for anything serious too soon.

He said: “I still keep in touch with her, I just haven’t seen her physically, I’ve spoken to other girls and stuff, but it’s important to get through this year and focus on me. -same.”

Close: Arg’s other high-profile romance was with another of his former co-star Lydia Bright, with whom he remains close friends to this day

“It could be detrimental to myself. I may have a strange date, a kiss or a hug, but in terms of a serious relationship, I think it could be a little later.

Addressing the future, he said: “I would like a lovely lady to join me at my home in Woodford Green, yeah I would like her to come live with me and potentially have children.”

Arg, who has lost an incredible 11 stones since having a gastric sleeve, has focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Discussing his journey to recovery, Arg said: “I think I had to learn a very hard and tough lesson, sometimes when you’re sober for a long time you get this stinky thought where you think you don’t. don’t have “I don’t have to go to meetings anymore.

‘You may also start to forget how bad things were in the past and you may even think to yourself, “Oh this time it might be different, I can have a few drinks, I can handle it this time, I can control it this time”. , “but when you’re a drug addict, you can’t.

“If you don’t keep working on your recovery you will eventually relapse so I had to learn the hard way in the past and now I know recovery has to come first and I’ve been working on that for the rest of my life if I want to be happy and healthy.

Half the size: Arg, who has lost an incredible 11 stones since having a gastric sleeve fitted, has focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle