Confusion erupted online after the Department for Education teamed up with reality TV star Gemma Collins for a video that quickly sent the internet into meltdown, in which the former TOWIE star demands: ‘What are we doing to help the children?’
The clip posted on Tuesday across the department’s social channels was captured after the former The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) star, 45, met Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to discuss education reforms.
The 18-second video shows Collins dressed in a risque rendition of school uniform, with a tight-fitted corset overlaid on top of a lacy top – complete with a tie and leopard print umbrella.
It starts with the star spinning around, flicking her platinum blonde hair, while standing outside the Department for Education (DfE) building in Westminster, London.
Collins then saunters into the building, set against music featured in the blockbuster movie The Devil Wears Prada, and later pulls a peace sign at the camera as she walks out of the building’s lift.
While seemingly distressed ‘colleagues’ surround her on the office floor, the TOWIE star walks in between rows of computers, as she, hands-on-hips, demands: ‘Right. What are we doing to help the children?’
The camera spins to Ms Phillipson, dressed in a blue dress, as she opens the door from an office and answers: ‘Come in, let’s have a chat.’
The unprecedented video, which is seemingly pinned to a viral The Devil Wears Prada trend, is captioned: ‘Gemma Collins is in the building and she’s got questions. Coming soon [camera emoji]. @bphillipsonMP.’
Reality TV star Gemma Collins teamed up with the Department for Education (DfE) for a video that quickly sent the internet into meltdown
The video starts with the star spinning around, flicking her platinum blonde hair, while standing outside the DfE building in Westminster, London
Collins then saunters into the building, set against music from The Devil Wears Prada, and later pulls a peace sign at the camera as she walks out of the building’s lift
The camera spins to Ms Phillipson, dressed in a blue dress, as she opens the door from an office and answers: ‘Come in, let’s have a chat’
The video comes as the Government committed itself to a social media drive, which saw the DfE spend £350,000 on influencers between 2024 – 2025, according to The Guardian – the largest amount of spending by any branch of government.
This revelation came after Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a reception for online content creators last summer, as Downing Street celebrated the ‘content creators shaping Britain’.
However Collins, who left school with minimal qualifications, was not paid for the video, a spokesperson for the DfE told the Daily Mail.
With an interest in education, the media personality spoke with Ms Phillipson about ‘how to ensure children like her aren’t left behind’, with discussions on the newly announced V Levels
People were quick to flock to the comments section, questioning the DfE’s choice behind making the video. One wrote: ‘Which Gen Z f***wit convinced you this was a good idea? To be fair, it’s a great way of highlighting how this Labour government has zero credibility.’
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Another: ‘What in God’s name is this? Drivel. Absolute drivel. And WE paid for it. The entire department should be abolished for this alone.’
A third wrote: ‘I love the GC, but I really feel there’s so many other people, with much more experience in education that you could’ve spoken to.’
And a fourth joked: ‘What’s next? Joey Essex visits the Ministry of Defence?’
The former health secretary Wes Streeting shared the video to his followers, writing: ‘When the GC met BP [fire emoji].’
However Collins’s fans jumped to her defence, as one wrote: ‘About time we see Gemma back on our screens lol BIG UP THE ESSEX QUEEN.’
The collaboration between the department and reality star will continue, the DfE said, as Collins ‘will also post content produced, filmed and edited by her team on her own channels’.
Collins, often referred to as her alter-ego ‘The GC’, rose to fame in 2011 on the series TOWIE and harvested followings from featuring in other shows, including ITV’s Celebrity Big Brother and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.
She was recently embroiled in controversy in the recent All Stars series of I’m a Celeb, which was plagued with bullying rows and spats between cast mates – peaking in April into a chaotic final night.
