Disgraced James Argent has taken to the stage in Spain close to where he was arrested for domestic violence when he shoved his girlfriend down a flight of stairs – and was supported by a famous friend who spoke of their “many trials and tribulations” before Argent’s performance.
The former TOWIE star took to the mic at Olivia’s La Cala restaurant on the Costa del Sol where he was seen entertaining holidaymakers after escaping jail. His recent legal woes didn’t appear to be playing on his mind as he mingled with guests and revelled in taking selfies with doting fans.
After arriving looking glum-faced and wearing head-to-toe black, Argent was soon working the room before his headline set, smiling, shaking hands and posing for photos. He was overheard telling punters he was feeling good and looking forward to getting on stage.
Ahead of kicking off his ‘Arg and friends’ set, the 37-year-old made his way through a terrace of diners at the popular tourist resort. He was greeted with a handshake by the venue’s owner, Elliott Wright – a fellow former TOWIE star and the cousin of Argent’s TOWIE pal Mark Wright.
Elliot introduced Argent to the crowd, telling those ready to watch the reality TV star sing: “We’ve been through so many trials and tribulations – when I got burnt down, he was there for me. He’s been there for me and that’s what friendship is – that’s how I was brought up.
“You stay strong together no matter what happens. I just want to say I love you – you’re one of my best friends – so get up here and make it a proper party. As the crowd broke out into cheers, Argent hugged Elliot before beginning his set.
The performance comes days after it was revealed he had left his beauty queen girlfriend Nicoline Artursson ‘bloodied and bruised’ after pushing her down concrete stairs at a house they were sharing when a row turned violent.
Disturbing court documents released this week revealed how Artursson, a former Miss Sweden, suffered a catalogue of injuries to her neck, arms, hand and leg that took a week to heal.
Prosecutors wanted Argent jailed for nine months for the more serious crime of wounding before he escaped prison after striking a plea deal and admitting to a lesser crime of “mistreatment.”
After making the bargain, Argent, 37, who was a regular on ITV’s The Only Way is Essex between 2010 to 2018, was slapped with a six-month suspended jail sentence and a two year restraining order banning him from contacting his 32-year-old girlfriend. It is understood he will also complete a ten-week domestic violence rehabilitation course in Spain, which includes listening to the stories of abuse survivors.
However, the reality star showed no sign of his recent troubles as he performed with a smile on his face in front of a packed house at Malaga restaurant Olivia’s.
Argent was seen smiling and greeting patrons around hour before he sang his first song. The TV personality was in the mood for love songs, belting out tracks like It Must Be Love by Madness, My Girl by The Temptations and Never Going to Give You Up back Rick Astley.
Prior to taking to the stage, Argent took to his Instagram Stories to promote his upcoming gig. Posing alongside a male friend before flying out, he captioned the shot to his 834,000 followers: “Lucky to have @albiedavies by my side the next 2 days [heart emoji]. @olivias_la_cala tonight.”
The venue, where Argent regularly sings, is close to the beachfront property in Mijas, near Málaga where he and Nicoline had been staying when a row broke out at 12.40am on May 5.
The TV regular is said to have become violent after Nicoline posted a cryptic Instagram post alluding to his relationship with ex-partner Lydia Bright, who starred alongside him on TOWIE. Argent has remained close friends with Bright after their five year on-off romance played out on the ITV reality series.
Prior to the attack, Nicoline posted: “Had an interesting conversation with a friend. Is it OK if your boyfriend or girlfriend is talking and hanging out with their ex and the exes family daily and liking their Instagram posts etc?
“No kids involved with the ex. And then it shows up on your explore page that your partner showed that interest with them but they blame you for seeing it and now the ex is supposedly their “best friend” I know what my family and friends think and certainly what I think.”
Nicoline is said to have been deeply in love with Argent and wanting to start a family before the incident happened. The fashion model has now split with the telly regular after being left terrified by his outburst.
Court documents told how ‘with the intention of harming’ Argent grabbed hold of Nicoline ‘tightly by her arm and pushed her causing her to fall down the stairs.’
Offering a detailed description of the injuries Nicoline suffered, a prosecutor said: “The injured woman suffered several bruises to her neck, a bruise to her right forearm, several abrasions to her right arm, and abrasions to her right hand and on her right leg.” Nicoline received medical assistance on the night but injuries to her skin and soft tissue took seven days to heal.
Breaking his silence after his arrest, Argent – who was suspended by TOWIE in October 2014 after failing a drug test said, “I am devastated by what’s happened.” Arg added that the outburst was not down to a relapse, insisting: “I am still three years and four months clean and sober.”
The Mirror revealed how Nicoline was left sobbing in the street and had to be consoled by a passerby who had been dining at a nearby restaurant. They told reporters: “I saw him throwing all his clothes off the balcony. There was a lot of screaming in the house, and then he ran out with a large bag.
“Nicoline was crying a lot and very nervous and agitated on the street, trying to call the police, but they didn’t speak English, so I went to help her translate. She said nothing like this had ever happened before.”
The passerby said they had no idea the couple were famous, adding, “I just saw a girl crying on the street trying to call the police, and I went out to help and translate. Then she stayed with the police, and I went home. She kept thanking me for being with her and helping her.”
Argent and Nicoline met 10 months ago during a chance encounter at a Spanish supermarket. Just weeks before the domestic violence incident, Arg gushed over his partner while attending former castmate Jess Wright’s Have A Heart Gala charity ball on 24 April.
He said: “My girlfriend is back at our beach house in Marbella, but I’m representing us both tonight,” he said. “Everything is good with us. It’s going really good. I’m happy.”
Recalling his first encounter with Nicoline, Argent gushed: “All of a sudden, I see this woman coming towards me. I was like, ‘Wow, she’s beautiful,'” he said. “She was just in her gym clothes, wearing no make-up. She’d just fed a stray cat.
“We both smiled and kind of giggled at each other. And Nicoline carried on walking. But then I thought, ‘What have I got to lose?’ So I turned around and said, ‘Hey.'” In a joint interview, the former couple also spoke about the possibility of having children together in the future.
“We’d both love to have a family one day,” revealed Argent. “We’ve both lived a life, had experiences with previous partners, but now it’s a really good time to be sure of who you’re with.”
Nicoline added, “That’s one thing I love about James. He’s very family-oriented. Our families are so similar.”
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