GEMMA Collins has lifted the lid on her secret money-spinner that has made her a millionaire.
The GC, 43, is not worried about running out of cash in the future after turning her hand to a lucrative side hustle.
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Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Gemma revealed she has been quietly investing in property for the past few years.
She admits she wasn’t thinking about pensions when she landed a part in in the reality show aged 30, so has been making up for it now.
Gemma has been snapping up properties before flipping them – which means renovating them and reselling them within a year.
She has also tightened her purse strings since the cost of living crisis hit to ensure she can continue to build her nest egg for the future.
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Gemma, who was a car saleswoman before finding fame on The Only Way Is Essex, told The Sun: “I’ve put money into property.
“I don’t worry about my future because I’ve put everything in place -but I’ve done it late in life.
“I had normal jobs and I’m not sure there were pension schemes then, I am self-employed, so I did it late in life.
“I was 40 when I started to [invest], I wish I had the knowledge that I have now in my 20s.”
However, when asked how many properties she has on her books, Gemma coyly replied: “I wouldn’t want to disclose that.
“But I am always looking for a good property – I’m into flipping properties, that’s a sideline that I do.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s on my scale or a smaller scale.”
Gemma – who is a self-confessed diva – is famed for loving life’s luxuries.
She is often seen quaffing champagne and hitting up designer stores, including Chanel and Louis Vuitton in London’s West End.
The star lives in a £1.3million Essex mansion which she recently transformed with the ancient Chinese practice Feng Shui.
Gemma says the most extravagant purchase to date was the giant wooden elephant she bought for £22,000 three years ago.
The sculpture weighs 300kg and now sits in her sprawling back garden, having previously been sited in London’s Green Park.
She also admitted her recent holiday to Greece set her back a whopping £20,000.
But Gemma insists she is always counting her pennies to ensure her ‘future is secure’, given her lack of a pension.
“I do not waste money at all,” Gemma said. “I’ve tightened my purse strings, everyone is getting a bag of coal for Christmas – I even think coal is expensive now.
“Everyone has got to have a reality check. I want to be able to sleep tight at night knowing I’ve secured my future.”
Everything to know about Gemma Collins
She added: “I spent £22,000 on a wooden elephant for my garden and I think my holiday last week cost me £20,000.
“Holidays are so expensive now. It was in school season but even that is so unfair, why is everyone killing everyone on prices all the time?”
Looking to the future, retirement is a long way off for Gemma.
The star is happily engaged to fiancé Rami Hawash and she has a huge list of things she wants to achieve before she even considers quitting work.
However, when she does get there, Gemma knows exactly what retirement will look for her.
She reveals: “I’m not going anywhere yet.
“But when I look at Joan Collins in the south of France drinking her Whispering Angel and having lunches and shopping around Saint Tropez, that’s going to be me.
“The rest of the nation can do it as well. We need to stop wasting money.”
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