So the climax of the last series of The Only Way Is Essex was Gemma Collins and James Argent finally admitting how they felt about each other and kissing, 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.

It turns out that Gemma’s hunch that Arg was embarrassed to be linked to her romantically was correct, and whilst she was making her way to Marbs, he was busy telling anyone who would listen that the pair were just good friends (don’t they realise that what they say on this show is not just shown to the entire nation but also the other people who star in it?).

Since returning from filming the TOWIE summer special, The Only Way Is Marbs, which was shown on ITV2 last week, Gemma has revealed to Closer magazine that she and Arg are most definitely NOT a couple, but they do argue like one as they spend all their time together.

“I did have a row with Arg during the Marbella special, but he’s never made me cry. I spend all my time with him smiling and laughing.

“Arg was angry with me after the row because I’d said he had a small willy, but we went out for dinner the next night and made up. There’s strong chemistry between us, which only got stronger during the holiday.

“He definitely doesn’t regret kissing me and he’d never be really nasty about my weight. we have a lot of banter and we encourage each other to stick to our diets. He accepts me as I am.”

She went on to describe the non-couple’s current situation following the holiday in more detail, commenting: ”I spent 24/7 with Arg and it was so much fun. He was sweet and told me how beautiful I looked without any make-up on.

“Since we got back, we’ve been spending lots of time in Essex at each other’s houses, listening to The Backstreet Boys! I’m so happy. He makes me feel special.”

Gemma, who is famous for her many attempts to lose weight, does not seem very put out at the thought of being ashamed to be seen with, commenting about her weight issues: “I’m determined to be a size 12-14 again and Arg has promised me a trip to the US to motivate me! I’m going on a two week health kick holiday to Portugal and then I’m spending three weeks in the US working out with a personal trainer.”

Watch Gemma’s 8 Out of 10 Cats appearance in the clip below:

Read the full interview in this week’s Closer magazine – out now.