Reality television personality Gemma Collins has shared photos from a boat trip in Italy alongside her fiancé Rami Hawash after detailing his recent drinking struggles.
The couple appeared relaxed during their Mediterranean getaway, with 45-year-old Collins wearing a plunging Dolce & Gabbana inspired swimsuit as she posed beside Hawash on deck.
Hawash, 51, posed shirtless in matching blue and white swimming shorts as the pair sunbathed together aboard the vessel.
Captioning the pictures on social media, Collins wrote: 'Always Italy or me ❤️ and my amour @rami_hawash_.'
Collins, a prominent British media personality, first rose to public attention on the ITV reality series The Only Way Is Essex before starring in numerous television programs. Hawash works as a mechanic and owns an automotive repair workshop, having maintained an on-and-off relationship with Collins for more than ten years. Italy, a country in Southern Europe famous for its scenic coastal regions, is home to luxury fashion houses including Milan-based Dolce & Gabbana.
Relationship pressure and personal tragedies
The romantic getaway follows candid discussions on their Sky reality show, Everything. All At Once, where both Collins and Hawash revealed that his drinking problem had pushed their relationship to breaking point.
Sky is a major British telecommunications and broadcasting company that produces original entertainment and reality television programming across the United Kingdom.
Hawash had been struggling emotionally following the death of his father and was coping with anxiety surrounding his mother, who currently lives in war-torn Israel.
The couple also experienced significant distress regarding fertility issues, documenting their emotional visits to the Portland Hospital on the reality series.
The Portland Hospital, situated in Central London, is a renowned private healthcare facility specializing in maternity, gynaecology, and fertility services.
Their personal hardships were further compounded when Collins's mother, Joan, died in July from pneumonia following a prolonged period of ill health.
Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs, which can cause severe illness, particularly in vulnerable individuals.
Public admission of alcohol struggle
Speaking at the launch event for the new series last month, Hawash addressed his alcohol addiction directly in an interview with the Daily Mail, stating that he no longer wanted to hide his difficulties.
Hawash said: “I drink, I’ve got a drink problem and I don’t want to hide it. I want people to know it is a problem. I’ve got a problem and life is not that great.”
Explaining how alcohol became a coping mechanism during difficult times, he added: “I don’t know why, but I find the drink, it was like, kind of my friend. You know, I have a few drinks and I’m forgetting everything.”
Collins admitted that Hawash's alcohol dependency had severely strained their bond, explaining the heavy emotional toll it had taken on her own health.
She said: “You can see how under pressure I am in this show. You can see I’m unwell. Life just got progressively worse.”
Despite the challenges, Collins noted that her late mother Joan had remained fond of Hawash, acknowledging that alcohol altered his personality.
Recalling her mother's feelings, Collins said: “My mum liked Rami. She felt sorry that he’d let the drink control him in the way that it does. Rami’s not a bad person. Rami is an awful person on alcohol.”
She added: “I really hope Rami goes on to love himself enough to realise there is a lot of help and support out there.”
Road to recovery and future outlook
Collins drew a firm distinction between her partner when sober and when he had been drinking.
She said: “Rami without the drink is an amazing person. He’s a great, great partner. Rami with the drink has come to a point I can’t cope with it anymore and I can’t deal with it, as you can see in the show.”
Despite the distress shown on screen, Collins confirmed that their relationship has moved past the low point filmed for television.
She said: “Where we were then is not where we are now.”
Collins disclosed that Hawash has taken active steps toward sobriety, including starting medical treatment to help manage his dependency.
She said: “Rami’s still on his journey. He’s started to take the tablet to stop drinking. It’s his journey that he needs to go on and we’ll support him on that.”
Prescription tablets for alcohol dependency, such as craving reducers or deterrent medications, are standard medical treatments prescribed to assist individuals in achieving long-term recovery.
Expressing optimism about their path ahead, Collins added: “Things can turn around. I really hope this for Rami, I hope it for myself and, yeah, who knows what’s going to happen next.”
She praised her fiancé for confronting his challenges publicly, stating: “He has been brave sharing it with everyone and let’s hope Rami goes back to the Rami we all love.”
Collins emphasized that ultimate progress requires personal determination, concluding: “But this is Rami’s choice. You can’t force someone to get well, they have to want it from within.”
