By Jason Chester
Published: 03:09 EST, 8 June 2014 | Updated: 04:09 EST, 8 June 2014
She recently enjoyed a very public display of affection with new boyfriend Alexander Moss, but TOWIE star Gemma Collins' latest beau was reportedly on day release from prison – where he's seeing out a sentence for drug offences.
The reality TV personality is said to be smitten with Moss – her first serious boyfriend since splitting with fiancé Rami Hawash in January.
But sources claim the Essex boy is a convicted drug dealer who spends his weekly day release, which falls on a Saturday, romancing curvy Gemma.
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Tactile: Gemma Collins and new boyfriend Alexander Moss enjoyed a very public display of affection in Essex last Saturday - but the TOWIE star's new man is said to have a dark past
'She has always had a thing for bad boys. But this goes further than the guys she has dated before – he's actually still serving a sentence for a serious crime,' a pal told Gemma Aldridge and Steve Myall of the Sunday Mirror.
Moss is understood to be serving a five and a half year prison term for cocaine trafficking following his arrest during an Essex drug bust in 2012.
But while she's aware of his shady past, friends say big-hearted Gemma is prepared to give her new man – who she first dated when she was in her early twenties – the benefit of the doubt.
Special moment: Gemma kisses her man. The TOWIE star has previously admitted to liking bad boys
The source added: 'She is very fair, but she's also very savvy. She believes everyone deserves a second chance.
'He has done an awful lot of good while he's been in prison – he's done courses, he's worked with the Samaritans. He's a fully reformed character.'
MailOnline have contacted Gemma's representatives for further comment.
Stepping out: Gemma is dating again after splitting with fiance Rami Hawash in January
The TV personality previously hinted at her early romance with Moss in autobiography Basically… My Life As A Real Essex Girl by recalling the time she asked a pal to set her up with 'a geeze5r – a gangster but with a big heart.'
In another passage she goes on to describes her ideal man, writing: 'I have always looked for someone with a darker side. I like men who are edgy, I like gangsters and characters. It's all about the geezers.'
The couple were seen enjoying a tactile display in Gemma's native Brentwood last Saturday during a visit to a fitness and nutrition shop.
This comes after Gemma was left in tears in the final episode of the latest series of TOWIE, when she broke down during the return of Lydia Bright – l the ex-girlfriend of another old flame, James 'Arg' Argent.
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