They soared to fame on TOWIE’s inaugural series 14 years ago, where fans affectionately nicknamed them ‘Marg’. 

And James Argent and Mark Wright proved their long-time friendship is as strong as ever as they partied up a storm at the Haven House Ball 2024 at London Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square on Wednesday night. 

The duo, aged 37 and 36 respectively, looked suave in tuxedos for the bash, where Arg performed alongside Hertfordshire-based The Function Band and helped raise a record £200k. 

The Function Band are a wildly-successful group who have delivered dazzling and wide-ranging performances around the world for over 15 years for a host of stars and lavish events as well as weddings and charity balls. 

Arg’s appearance at the gala comes after he ran his ‘longest distance in 12 years’ after he completed the Brighton Half Marathon last month.

James Argent and Mark Wright proved their long-time friendship is as strong as ever as they partied up a storm at the Haven House Ball 2024 at London Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square on Wednesday night

Arg posed up a storm with a number of showgirls 

The star, who ran the race in honour of his late grandmother, took to Instagram to share that he finished the race in a time of one hour and 51 minutes. 

Sharing snaps during the run, Arg said it had been in tribute to his grandmother ‘Nanny Brighton’ – who passed away in summer 2023.

‘Today I ran my longest distance in 12 years, The Brighton half Marathon in 01:51:39,’ he captioned the post.

‘Sadly I lost my Grandmother Dianne “Nanny Brighton” last summer, She meant everything to the family and is badly missed. Today was for her.’

He confirmed: ‘I’ve managed to keep it off,’ before Lorraine continued: ‘You look at that person and think “I don’t recognise that”.’

The reality star said: ‘I’ve got a healthy relationship with both food and exercise. I said to myself when I started the weight loss journey that it was going to be forever.

Arg’s issues with his weight came to a head soon after he and ex-girlfriend Gemma Collins, 43, finally ended their rollercoaster relationship.

The two dated briefly in 2012 before reuniting in 2017 and dating on and off for three years.

He performed with the esteemed Function Band 

Arg’s appearance at the gala comes after he ran his ‘longest distance in 12 years’ after he completed the Brighton Half Marathon last month 

The fiery duo became known for their huge, jaw-dropping blowout fights, most of which were depicted on TOWIE, much to fans’ delight. 

Ironically, Arg made numerous references to her weight during their relationship, only for him to become six stone heavier than she ever has been. 

Their final break up came after Arg branded Gemma a ‘hippo’ and a ‘fat f***’.

On Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2021, Gemma said: ‘I was really happy with Arg. We did get on, but the drugs changed him as a person. I fought every day for three years to get him well.’

When prompted to discuss her lowest moment throughout their struggles, she admitted: ‘I have felt suicidal… I think when my relationship broke down with Arg, that affected me. I just thought, I don’t wanna be here anymore. I can’t take it.

‘Christmas was an all-time low. I saved his life three times. I had this insatiable love for him. I never wanted to give up on him.’

Sharing snaps of him during the run, Arg said it had been in tribute to his grandmother ‘Nanny Brighton’ – who passed away in summer 2023 (pictured together in 2017)