EXCLUSIVE: Arg and his stunning girlfriend, Nicoline Artursson, are going strong – and couldn’t have looked more loved-up as they frolicked on the beach in Barbados
Former TOWIE star James ‘Arg’ Argent and his girlfriend, ex-Miss Sweden Nicoline Artursson, are still going strong, looking absolutely smitten with each other as they enjoyed a sunny beach stroll in the Caribbean. The couple, who started dating nine months ago after a chance supermarket encounter, were soaking up the sun at Sandy Lane, a celeb-favourite resort in Barbados as Arg, 37, treated his lady to a special birthday getaway.
Both looked radiant, Arg flaunting his impressive weight loss in swimwear and model Nicoline, 32, stunning in a skimpy white bikini. Sharing a sweet snap of them on Instagram, Arg wrote, “Happy Birthday My Love @nicolineartursson.” A source revealed to OK! that Arg is in a great place and has never been happier. He’s overcome many challenges and now has someone who loves him for who he is. The source even hinted that Arg might be planning to take their relationship to the next level.
They said: “He’s totally smitten. He’s definitely looking to pop the question and start their future together,” adding, “He has absolutely no doubt that she is the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, they are absolutely soulmates, there’s no question about it. And seeing his good friend Mark Wright and his wife Michelle Keegan so happy and expecting their first baby, it’s just a lovely sign to Arg of what his happy future might hold.”
In an exclusive chat with OK! last December, Arg confirmed that his romance with Nicoline was the real deal, sharing that she had not only relocated to the UK but also moved into his Essex home. During their first interview as a couple, they admitted to experiencing “love at first sight” after a chance encounter outside a Spanish supermarket, just before James was due to perform at Elliott Wright’s restaurant in Marbella.
Arg reminisced about the moment she stole his heart, saying, “I was walking to my gig. All of a sudden I see this woman coming towards me. I was like, ‘Wow, she’s beautiful’. She was just in her gym clothes, wearing no make-up. She’d actually just fed a stray cat.”
Despite feeling Nicoline was “out of his league”, he bravely asked her out, and they enjoyed a date a week later where Arg candidly discussed his gastric sleeve weight loss and past struggles with addiction. And the Swedish stunner and her beau confessed that they were so engrossed in each other at the restaurant that they forgot to order any food. And as they say, the rest is history.
Nicoline described Arg as a “handsome man with a big smile”, adding that his sense of humour was one of the things that made her fall for him. This is a heartwarming change for Arg who, last Valentine’s Day, admitted he was lonely and “really struggled” following his split from law student Stella Turian.
As he shared on the My Dirty Laundry podcast, “Everything in my life is perfect, apart from my love life. It would be nice if that would change. [On social media] everyone’s madly in love. Everyone’s happy. Everyone’s out on dates. And yeah, it did start to affect me.”
Luckily, this upcoming Valentine’s Day looks promising for James, who seems to have found his love match in Nicoline. If their romantic escapades in Barbados are anything to go by, these two are in it for the long run. Who knows, there might even be a romantic proposal on the horizon…