Gemma Collins beams as she meets hero Richard Blackwood

She started out in The Only Way Is Essex, before shooting to stardom after her sassy put-downs on Celebrity Big Brother turned her into a meme sensation.

But self-confessed diva Gemma Collins proved she was still prone to getting starstruck, which she displayed after bumping into her hero, Richard Blackwood, on Friday night.

The ‘buzzing’ reality star, 36, beamed as she cosied up to the EastEnders actor, gushing that ‘dreams do come true’.

 

‘Buzzing’: Self-confessed diva Gemma Collins proved she was still prone to getting starstruck, which she displayed after bumping into her hero, Richard Blackwood, on Friday night

She added in the caption: ‘I’ve been a fan for years followed him from back in the day and I got to meet him wow so buzzing Richard Blackwood.’

Richard seemed to be enjoying the attention as he happily obliged and smiled for the camera.

The 45-year-old, who plays Vincent Hubbard on EastEnders, started out in the Nineties as a singer and presenter. 

The pair bumped into each other at the Shocktober Halloween bash in Surrey, which was also attended by Katie Price and a series of former TOWIE stars.

Ecstatic: The 'buzzing' reality star, 36, beamed as she cosied up to the 45-year-old EastEnders actor, gushing that 'dreams do come true'

Ecstatic: The ‘buzzing’ reality star, 36, beamed as she cosied up to the 45-year-old EastEnders actor, gushing that ‘dreams do come true’

Fancy seeing you here! The pair bumped into each other at the Shocktober Halloween bash in Surrey, which was also attended by Katie Price and a series of former TOWIE stars

Fancy seeing you here! The pair bumped into each other at the Shocktober Halloween bash in Surrey, which was also attended by Katie Price and a series of former TOWIE stars

It comes after Gemma showed off her incredible kickboxing skills to Tommy Mallet during a wild night out in Dublin. 

Gemma certainly showed her TOWIE co-star who was boss on Wednesday night as she threw some kicks and punches in his direction.

Jokingly squaring up to him, she laughed as she showed off her flexibility with a series of nimble high kicks.

Not content with one impromptu kickboxing session, the clothes designer later showed off her shadow punches in another video.

Impressive: Gemma Collins showed off her incredible kickboxing skills to Tommy Mallet during a wild night out in Dublin

Don't mess with her! The bubbly blonde gave Jackie Chan a run for his money

Impressive: Gemma Collins showed off her incredible kickboxing skills to Tommy Mallet during a wild night out in Dublin

Black belt? Looking like a modern ninja, Gemma showed off her best moves

Black belt? Looking like a modern ninja, Gemma showed off her best moves

Tommy was clearly impressed with her moves, shouting: ‘Chat s**t, get GC’d!’ and added: ‘Kung fu panda!’

Gemma has been busy filming the latest series of TOWIE in Dublin alongside co-stars Yazmin Oukhellou, James Lock, Georgia Kousoulou and Amber Turner.

The 36-year-old’s impressive display comes after she admitted fears she could be going through early menopause – because she can’t stop yawning.  

Fighting talk: Gemma certainly showed her TOWIE co-star who was boss on Wednesday night as she threw some kicks and punches in his direction

Fighting talk: Gemma certainly showed her TOWIE co-star who was boss on Wednesday night as she threw some kicks and punches in his direction

Fighting talk: Gemma certainly showed her TOWIE co-star who was boss on Wednesday night as she threw some kicks and punches in his direction

She opened up about her fears that she may be entering the period in a woman’s life where their periods stop and their hormones fluctuate – causing women usually aged between 48 and 55 to have sleep problems, hot flashes, weight gain and a slowed metabolism.

Speaking to her pal Chloe Sims on the reality series, which aired on Wednesday, the 36-year-old star said: ‘I’m not in my twenties anymore, in fact actually I want to go and get menopause tested. 

‘Chloe we’re in our thirties we could hit menopause any minute, this is why I might be yawning so much!’ 

Got her back! Tommy was clearly impressed with her moves, shouting: 'Chat s**t, get GC'd!' and added: 'Kung fu panda!'

Got her back! Tommy was clearly impressed with her moves, shouting: ‘Chat s**t, get GC’d!’ and added: ‘Kung fu panda!’

The thought of going through early menopause is no doubt frightening to the curvaceous blonde as she has made no secret of the fact she wants to have a baby. 

And Gemma was even keen to have a gastric band fitted, which involves putting an adjustable ring around the top of your stomach to prevent overeating, in order to lose weight and fulfill her dreams of having a family of her own. 

A source said previously: ‘Gemma knows she’s run out of excuses. She’s determined to get control over her weight and face up to the reality that she’s big because she eats too much. 

Suspicions: It comes as Gemma revealed fears she may be going through early menopause because she can't stop yawning

Suspicions: It comes as Gemma revealed fears she may be going through early menopause because she can’t stop yawning

Candid: She told her TOWIE co-star Chloe Sims: 'Chloe we're in our thirties we could hit menopause any minute, this is why I might be yawning so much!'

Candid: She told her TOWIE co-star Chloe Sims: ‘Chloe we’re in our thirties we could hit menopause any minute, this is why I might be yawning so much!’

‘Gemma feels she won’t find love if she doesn’t do something drastic and thinks her only option is a gastric band. She knows she’s not getting any younger and has been told she could develop fertility problems due to her weight.’ 

Last year, Gemma revealed that she’d suffered a miscarriage in 2012 and believes it was punishment for aborting her baby previously. 

She said at the time: ‘I do feel guilty. What if I can never have a baby now? The miscarriage feels like God’s way of punishing me.’ 

Ordeal: Last year, Gemma revealed that she'd suffered a miscarriage in 2012 and believes it was punishment for aborting her baby previously

Ordeal: Last year, Gemma revealed that she’d suffered a miscarriage in 2012 and believes it was punishment for aborting her baby previously

 

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