Charlie King opens up about sexual relationship with Gemma Collins and pansexuality
"If we were to go into label terms, that’s where it would fall under," the reality star said in a new interview
By Aaron Sugg
Former The Only Way is Essex star Charlie King has opened up about his past relationship with Gemma Collins, revealing he was still a virgin at the time they dated on the show.
Speaking on the All Out with Jon Dean podcast, the 40-year-old reflected on his time on the ITV reality series, saying he genuinely hoped to build a relationship with Collins, despite struggling privately with his sexuality.
“I really believed that I could forge a really nice relationship with her” – Charlie King
“I so wanted to be in a relationship with a woman,” King said. “When I met Gemma, and she gave me vibes of, I could see a little bit of my mum in her and she reminded me of some people, as I say in my life, that I really believed that I could forge a really nice relationship with her.”
The former reality TV star appeared in 55 episodes of the show before a 2013 exit, during which he was coming to terms with his sexuality, later announcing he was gay in 2014.
King admitted he had never had a sexual relationship with anyone before joining TOWIE in his mid-20s. “I’ve never really been an overly sexual person,” he told the podcast host.
“I literally was an open book and it could have gone any way. Some might say, well, you saying that you were open to things, shows that there was obviously a confusion or bisexuality or whatever. But I was just like from the get go, I’m open to what comes my way.”
“We hadn’t necessarily gone any further than just having a sleepover” – Charlie King
He said that while he and Collins shared moments of intimacy, they never became physically involved beyond over kissing.
“Yes, we were trying to build a relationship,” King said. “There were times where if she’d stay over and we hadn’t necessarily gone any further than just having a sleepover and a cuddle or a kiss or whatever, I think instead of talking to me about it, she’d go and tell the producers about it.”
King also suggested Collins may have seen him as a “safe bet,” noting that despite the Celebrity Big Brother star’s diva TV persona, she had been hurt many times in her dating life.
“If we were to go into label terms, that’s where it would fall under” – Charlie King
Although he identifies as a gay man, he acknowledged his attraction to women. When Dean asked whether he might be pansexual, he replied, “If we were to go into label terms, that’s where it would fall under.”