James Argent has revealed that he will not reconcile his romance with ex Lydia Bright as he fears it will jeopardize their friendship.
The pair split in 2016 after a tumultuous relationship, when 30-year-old Lydia reportedly came home to find 34-year-old James, a recovering drug addict, “out of it.”
Arg spoke to The Mirror about his relationship with his fellow TOWIE star, saying the rumors ruined the former couple’s ability to move on.
JUST FRIENDS: James Argent, 34, has vehemently denied rumors of a reunion with 30-year-old Lydia Bright, calling her one of his “closest friends”.
Lydia has been single since the end of her relationship with Lee Cronin, the father of her daughter Loretta.
He explained: ‘We’ve always wanted to be in each other’s lives. He is one of my closest friends. We care about and respect each other but we feel that nothing can jeopardize it other than staying friends.
‘I want to be able to see Lydia when I’m not having a good day because she’s someone I ask for help, but we can’t do that at the time because we take pictures and everyone says, They are back together.”
History: The pair parted ways in 2016 after a tumultuous relationship and 30-year-old Lydia is now mother to 22-month-old daughter Loretta, with ex Lee Cronin
The reality star feels like he can turn to Lydia with his problems, but can also rely on his mother—who sends him inspirational quotes in the morning—to help him recover.
James also had a long-term romance with another co-star, Gemma Collins, and has expressed how happy he is to have his new “engagement” with Rami Hawash.
James and Gemma eventually ended their relationship for good in early 2020.
In the past: Arg talks about her relationship with her fellow TOWIE star, saying that rumors ruined the former couple’s ability to move on; pictured in 2011
Arg was recently seen holding a board in darts that had ‘GC Call of the Engagement’ written on it.
He said of this: ‘It was just a joke of the boys. I know for a fact that Gemma wasn’t offended – she saw the funny side. I also knew Rami very well during the initial days of filming TOWIE so I am really happy for him.’
James also revealed that his 13 stone weight loss inspired him to consider reality shows such as I’m a Celebrity and Strictly Come Dancing.
Ex-files: James also had a long-term romance with another co-star, Gemma Collins, and expressed how happy he is to have his new ‘engagement’ with Rami Hawash; photo in 2019
Laughs: Arg was recently spotted holding darts on a board that had ‘GC Call of the Engagement’ written on it – but he insisted it was just a joke.
During Tuesday’s episode of Loose Woman, Arg explored the rise in male eating disorders by interviewing an expert, two case studies, and her mother, Patricia Argent.
Arg, who told viewers that half a million people in the UK suffer from an eating disorder and a quarter of them are male, also admitted he was one of them.
He decided to change his lifestyle after battling depression and cocaine addiction.
After a rehab stint followed by a binge on food, Arg decided to have gastric band surgery last April.
Wow: James also revealed that his 13 stone weight loss prompted him to consider reality shows like I’m a Celebrity and Strictly Come Dancing (pictured right, a few days before gastric band surgery in April 2021)
This process prompted him to change his diet for the better and exercise regularly, boxing, swimming and hitting the gym five times a week.
He said: ‘I have suffered from binge eating disorder for more than half of my life and although people may think that the condition is quite rare, in fact more people suffer from binge eating disorders than they are with anorexia. And do with bulimia.’
During the VT, James spoke to his mother, Patricia, and asked: ‘When did you notice that something was not right with me?’
He replied: ‘Lockdown is when it starts to creep up on you. You were gaining weight every week and I noticed that you weren’t moving as much as you could, and you didn’t seem happy with yourself.’
Went Through: During Tuesday’s episode of Loose Woman, Arg explored the rise in male eating disorders by interviewing an expert, two case studies, and her mother, Patricia Argent.
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