"I have to protect myself and my body'

Gemma Collins, who is battling the effects of long Covid, on the benefits of ice chambers and avoiding negativity

- OLIVIA BUXTON

Gemma Collins has looked to sub-zero cryotherapy in a bid to “shock her system” back to health after long Covid symptoms made her convinced she was dying of a heart attack.

The 42-year-old reality star contracted the virus last year and has been suffering from the side effects ever since. Only last month, Gemma revealed she had to ring for an ambulance and thought she was going to die.

“The palpitations got so bad I thought I was having a heart attack,” she says. “I called an ambulance and the paramedics did an ECG [electrocardiogram] and said, ‘We need to take you to hospital.’

“I said to myself, ‘Great, this is it. My time is up.’ But, thank God, it was a condition called costochondritis, which can cause severe chest pain and happens because of coughing or an infection. I think I got it from being constantly run down and ill. I do think I’ve got long Covid because I haven’t been able to shift it and it’s been in my system for months. I’ve been so unwell and it doesn’t matter what I take or do, it’s not going.”

In a bid to beat it, Gemma has been having ice cryo spa sessions, which she recently posted about on Instagram.