Entertainment

Gemma Collins to make TV return despite lockdown

Diva On Lockdown will air later this month.
Diva On Lockdown will air later this month. Diva On Lockdown will air later this month.

Gemma Collins will make her return to the small screen in ITVBe series Diva On Lockdown.

The programme, a rebrand of the Towie star’s Diva Forever, will capture her life at home using fixed-rig cameras set up around her house.

Across three hour-long episodes, the 39-year-old will fight to keep her Brentwood shop trading and secure her dream home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

She said: “We were in the middle of filming my new series of Diva with loads of exciting stuff planned.

“But, as you know, we’ve found ourselves in the middle of a pandemic.

“So here we are now … I’m standing in my living room, with fixed-rig cameras all over my house to bring you Diva On Lockdown.

“You want the GC, so the GC found a new way of working. You’re going to see everything that I do in isolation. We’ll all be on our journey together.”

ITV Palooza 2019 – London
ITV Palooza 2019 – London Gemma Collins with Alan Carr (Ian West/PA)

She added: “I’m being filmed and I’ve also got the producers speaking in my ear, so if it sounds as if I’m talking to myself … well, maybe sometimes I am.

“I can guarantee, though, what you see will definitely be 100% authentic GC. I hope it cheers you up in these difficult times.”

ITV head of digital channels and acquisitions Paul Mortimer said: “Gemma has proven in all her previous outings across ITV that she is a star who thrives on audience and public interaction.

“Both generous and warm, the GC is one of the most gregarious personalities in the UK.

“ITVBe is therefore very grateful to her for finishing production on her new series whilst on lockdown.”

Diva On Lockdown, made by Lime Pictures, will air on ITVBe in late April.