After months of speculation over the relationship between The Only Way Is Essex stars, Gemma Collins and James Argent, Arg has finally put his embarrassment behind him over the size of his new lady friend and opened up about how he feels about her.

We all watched them kiss for the first time at the end of  the last series of The Only Way Is Essex, so we all couldn’t wait to see how the romance was doing when the hit ITV2 reality show took us with them on their annual summer holiday to Marbella, but we were all left very disappointed, and somewhat confused.

It seemed promising at first, with Gemma revealing when she arrived late that Arg had been constantly texting her to find out when she would be coming to join them on the Spanish holiday resort.  But when Gemma did finally arrive – she was late due to her mother being in hospital – there was much finger clicking and head swaying coming from the larger than life Essex beauty, along with chant’s of “you aint never gonna get none of this” to Arg, whilst slapping her backside having just stripped practically naked for him in front of his friends.

Following this there has been report after report that they were either a couple or that they were just good friends.  However one of the most recent stories came with an admission from Gemma herself that they were in fact a couple, and now it seems that Arg is lifting the other side of the lid about their status in preparation for the new series starting tonight.

Speaking to TV Biz (an interview he turned up late for due to the fact that the couple were “in bed”) has opened up about Collins, saying:: “We have been having a LOT of fun. Gemma is a hot, beautiful girl — she looks just like Diana Dors — and I’m a lucky man to be enjoying her company.

“She might be body-conscious at times but has a lovely figure — and is VERY confident behind closed doors.

“We’re not girlfriend and boyfriend just yet but are both very happy with the way things are. It’s very early days.”

So, still not admitting everything it would seem which would suggest that some of his hang ups about being linked to the larger than life blonde bombshell are still present, which Collins was well aware of, telling him at the time:“I am f***ing sexy, James. You think I’m pretty but I’m too fat to go out with you. I might not be a size ten but I’ve got a good heart.”

Speaking of that incident, Arg commented:“That came out of nowhere. I was in shock more than anything — I didn’t think I had done anything wrong.

“I understand why she felt that way, because she thought I was saying nasty things to knock her confidence.

“But it was only a bit of banter. I never wanted to hurt her feelings, or make her feel she wasn’t good enough.”

He went on: “The next day, she knew I was upset, so she took me out for dinner to apologise for her outburst. And then later that evening, she made it up to me. She made amends that day — then all night as well.”

Still, this luke-warm, half-hearted declaration toward his co-star is obviously enough for Gem, as she has openly gushed about plans to marry and make babies with the Dean martin wannabe!

However, Arg was careful to tell fans (the female ones we assume) that this is not exactly the case, saying: “We’ve not been together long. Gemma likes to say we’re the Essex Posh and Becks but I think we have a way to go before we’re at that stage.”

Having been in TOWIE since it started, Arg is returning in tonight’s new series as the only original male cast member, a fact which he is very proud of:

“I am very proud of that, especially when the show is going from strength to strength.

“I’m the Ken Barlow of TOWIE. In ten years’ time I’ll probably still be on the show serving drinks in the Sugar Hut. I’m so excited about the new series, it’s going to be brilliant.

“There are lots of couples and that is going to change things. There’s us, Mario and Lucy, Ricky and Jess, Lydia and Tom.

“Mario and Lucy look like they could be the first to get married. If they make it up the aisle, their big day will be fantastic.

“Hopefully I’d get a gig out of it — I’ll definitely ask them if they want a DJ.

“But their relationship hasn’t made me think about marriage more. I’m happy to not rush, and do things in my own time.”

Speaking of his own personal weight problem, Arg commented: “Unfortunately I have put on a lot of weight since running the London Marathon in April. That was a huge achievement and after that I just let myself go. But I do want to start getting fit again soon.”

The new series of The Only Way Is Essex begins tonight at 10pm on ITV2/ITV2 HD.