James Argent was caught in a ‘vicious cycle’ of taking drugs all night and binge-eating all day

TOWIE star James ‘Arg’ Argent has linked his addiction to cocaine with his problems with binge-eating – claiming each issue has fuelled the other.

Speaking to The Sun, the reality TV star, 32, admitted this weekend that he is a cocaine addict, and has been heavily using the drug for seven years.

He said: ‘The core of my addiction stems from my eating disorder. I binge on food if I hate the way I look. It’s like the opposite of anorexia where people starve themselves if they are down about their body. I eat when I’m not even hungry.’

Arg claims that his depression over his weight would cause him to use drugs all day without eating food – leading to him binging the day after.

‘That’s part of my vicious cycle. I’d feel down so I’d start using drugs at 9PM until 6AM, not eating a thing.

‘Then I’d wake up, feel low, and be absolutely starving; and I would binge on everything from fizzy drinks, burgers, fast food, crisps, snacks, pizzas, takeaways to the point where I couldn’t possibly eat any more to feel better.

‘Then I’d look in the mirror, see I’m the biggest I’ve ever been, then think, “When is a suitable time for a dealer to drop me off”. It was a never-ending tale of destruction.’

Arg admits that his cheery character is merely a front, and that the abuse he seemed to laugh off on social media was actually lead him to take more drugs and eat more food.

He has also admitted he suffered two near-fatal overdoses at his home last year, and his girlfriend Gemma Collins called emergency services after his family feared he was dead. 

Arg says he is now in recovery after spending ten weeks at a Thailand boot camp, after calling his best friend and former TOWIE co-star Mark Wright for help when he reached rock bottom over Christmas 2019.

Speaking about his first overdose in October which triggered paranoia and psychosis, Arg said: ‘I locked myself in my house and took drugs for three days straight on my own in the pitch black.’

Adding that he regularly spent £500 a week on his cocaine habit, Arg said of his first overdose: ‘I was at rock bottom. My heart was beating out of my chest, my nose was bleeding, I was shaking and my breathing was terrible. 

‘My family were banging on the door screaming, ‘Open up’ but I wasn’t answering the door to anyone. They feared I’d overdosed and was dead in the house.’ 

It was Gemma who called the emergency services who forced the door. After tests it was agreed Arg did not need to go to hospital and could stay with his parents, but just two months later he overdosed again on the night before his 32nd birthday, as he admitted ‘my addiction was so bad I couldn’t stop myself.’ 

The second time he was hospitalised over fears for his heart, with Arg revealing that his worried friends took his phone away while he was in hospital in case he called his dealers. 

It was after he found himself alone on Christmas Day 2019 and using cocaine that he decided things had to change, calling his best friend and former TOWIE co-star Mark Wright for help.

Mark got his friend in touch with the owners of a Thailand boot camp, with Arg travelling there on New Year’s Eve, staying for ten weeks and losing five stone in weight.

He now attends an out patient facility near his Essex home regularly.  

Arg also explained during the interview that he first dabbled in drugs when he first shot to fame with Mark in TOWIE, but his loved ones only found out he had a problem when he was declared missing in 2014, after failing to turn up for a flight to Majorca for a paid appearance.  

Arg recently showcased his staggering weight loss as he shared a before and after photo on Instagram earlier this month.  

He Arg posted a picture from a recent run, alongside a photo of himself at pal Elliott Wright’s son’s christening in April last year.  

The reality star captioned the post: ‘I’m making progress, Inside & Outside One day at a time’.

Dozens of the Arg’s celebrity pals applauded him for his efforts, while also encouraging him to stay motivated. 

Arg is currently in lockdown without Gemma as the couple, who have had an eight-year on-off relationship, continue to isolate separately. 

Last month, the TV personality took to Instagram to lament how much he was missing the self-proclaimed diva with a romantic throwback snap of the pair in Paris. 

In the image, the on-off couple locked lips against the dazzling backdrop of the Eiffel tower at night.

Sharing how much he’s missing being without his reality star girlfriend, James penned: ‘Lockdown absolutely sucks without you GC but I understand you have to entertain the nation & put a smile on peoples faces at this difficult time! #imissyou #wellmeetagain.’